UAE’s first graduate Emirati midwives who are ‘voice of women’

At 23, Nouf Al Ameri proudly remembers the first time she stepped into a delivery room as a trainee midwife. She describes the moment a mother realises she is strong enough to bring new life into the world — and the moment the midwife quietly holds her hand and says I’m with you.

- Haneen Dajani

“That moment when you feel that the mother is strong and capable... this is what inspires me,” she said. “I want to help her, give her attention, be present with her.”

Nouf is among the first Emirati women to graduate from the UAE’s first-ever direct-entry Bachelor of Science in Midwifery at Fatima College of Health Sciences (FCHS). Seven graduates have now joined Danat Al Emarat Women and Children’s Hospital — a milestone that marks the launch of a profession that has existed for centuries, yet only now has an accredited Emirati pathway.

For the young women pioneering it, the journey is deeply personal. Nouf introduces herself proudly: “I’m 23 years old... I’m proud to be one of the first Emirati girls to specialise in this.” She describes choosing midwifery because it felt like a message more than a major — a chance to “be the voice of women” during pregnancy and childbirth. “It’s a new and very important qualification in our country,” she pointed,

“It carries responsibility... we defend the mother and make sure she gets respect and humane care.”