Susie Harder, originally from Minnesota, is the second of seven children—a background that helped shape her sense of responsibility, care for others, and steady presence.

Today, those qualities are being formed and refined in a very different context as Susie serves in Davao City, Philippines, as a midwife apprentice at Mercy Maternity Center.

Mercy Maternity Center provides compassionate, Christ-centered care to women and families from low-income communities.

As an apprentice, Susie is engaged in a demanding season of preparation that includes hands-on clinical training, rigorous academic coursework, and steady progress in learning the local language.

Each part of this journey is equipping her to serve women with both professional excellence and genuine compassion.

Care at Mercy Maternity Center extends beyond medical treatment.

Women are welcomed with dignity, prayer, and encouragement—often at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

For many, this is their first experience of being personally prayed for or receiving such holistic care.

Susie is learning how skilled midwifery and Christ-like presence together can foster trust, healing, and hope.

This apprenticeship is intentionally long-term.

The skills, experience, and cultural understanding Susie is gaining now will prepare her for years of faithful service in maternal health, wherever God may lead her next.

Her journey reflects Katalyst World Partners’ commitment to investing deeply in people, prioritizing formation, sustainability, and credibility over quick outcomes.

Those who pray for and support Susie are partnering in more than a training program.

They are helping shape a caregiver who is learning to serve women at the very beginning of life—one patient, one conversation, and one birth at a time.