Ilana Shemesh, an American born midwife who immigrated to Israel in l973, has been a leader for childbirth reform in Israel. With a nursing degree and a midwifery degree and license, she has worked in Israeli hospitals and has provided holistic prenatal care and attended homebirths. When she retired in 2017 she volunteered in a Ugandan birth center, and then explored the Abayudaya community near Mbale. After consulting with Rabbi Gershom Sizumo, and Dr. Masaba Baniru, she learned of the need for a birth center in the area. She returned in 2018 to open the Shifrah and Puah Maternity Center.