Healthy Mothers. Thriving Communities.
Every year, an estimated 178,000 mothers and 1 million newborns die in the African region from causes that are almost entirely preventable. According to the World Health Organization's latest estimates from the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Interagency Group, sub-Saharan Africa alone accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths, a burden so disproportionate that it defies any notion of global equity.
of global maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
A preventable maternal health crisis.
The region's maternal mortality ratio stands at 442 deaths per 100,000 live births, a figure that, while improved from 727 in 2000, remains more than six times the global Sustainable Development Goal target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 by 2030.
At the current annual reduction rate of 2.2%, the region is projected to have nearly 350 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, five times higher than the SDG target.
These are not just numbers on a page. They are mothers who never held their newborns, families shattered, and communities robbed of the women who hold them together, from the referral hospitals of Uganda to the clinics of South Sudan and the DRC.
Every mother and every newborn deserves the chance to thrive.
From Gulu to Goma, from Kampala to Kigali, we are working to ensure that every mother and every newborn has the chance not just to survive, but to thrive.
Better care for mothers and newborns.
Overall Goal
Expanded access to comprehensive, quality, and community-responsive maternal health services.
Strategic Objective
Expand access to high-quality, community-responsive maternal health services in underserved communities in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Long-Term Outcome
Reduced maternal and newborn mortality through timely, safe, and culturally sensitive maternal health services for pregnant women and new mothers in underserved communities.
Key Strategies & Interventions
Care that is already making a difference.
Reduced Newborn Mortality Risk
Donated a cutting-edge neonatal incubator to St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Northern Uganda, which has since supported over 300 newborns, strengthening care for premature and low-birth-weight infants at a facility serving over two million people.
Improved Postnatal Care
Donated 300 New Mother Starter Kits to new mothers at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, promoting healthy practices and dignified postnatal care.
Increased Community Access
Supported health outreaches and awareness campaigns on family planning, reproductive health, and pre/post-natal care.