Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

Neonatal hypothermia affects an estimated 17M newborns annually in developing countries. (1) It is a comorbidity of hypoglycemia, infection, and hypoxia, and is a significant contributing factor to mortality. The early stages of hypothermia are invisible, so it is often undetected. (2) However, if caretakers recognize hypothermia and warm the babies, there is a markedly increased chance of survival. Early detection is paramount, and a tool to detect hypothermia is a critical part of the solution

Lebanon now hosts the largest population of displaced Syrian refugees, most of whom are women and children 1. The policy of the Lebanese government to formally disallow the establishment of refugee camps has meant that most Syrian refugees in Lebanon - estimated at 1 million- are unregistered with the UNCHR; consequently, they have very limited access to UNCHR- and NGO-provided reproductive health programming. The challenges are greater among pregnant women who live in the remote regions.

Many Kenyans have not heard of Mfangano, the largest island in Lake Victoria (26,000 people). Fewer have taken the 2-hr boat ride to reach our shores. Just 85km from Kisumu, we are isolated from mainland Kenya’s rapid growth in infrastructure and health improvement. Less than 50% of mothers receive adequate antenatal care and fewer deliver with skilled attendants. Emergencies leave families unprepared to navigate a fragmented system in an isolated region, too often leading to deadly delays.

In LMICs, over 3 million babies die each year simply because they do not have access to incubators that provide heat, phototherapy, and ventilation. This leads to billions of dollar in human and capital loses annually. Currently, there are no affordable, fully functional incubators for low-resource settings. Modern hospital incubators are stationary, large and heavy, and require a constant 110-240V electricity and are prohibitively expensive to purchase and complex to disinfect and to maintain.

Young people in Senegal experience greater complications from pregnancy and unsafe abortion, and also account for a disproportionate number of sexually transmitted infections. A major reason for this is that young people face many obstacles in accessing the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services that they need to stay healthy, including stigma, provider discrimination, lack of confidentiality, and other barriers.

Menstruating schoolgirls have no access to affordable menstrual products. They struggle with shame, using unhygienic solutions that pose health risks and it prevents them from participating in school reducing their equity and life opportunities. Most girls start menarche without prior menstrual education; it’s a stigmatized topic surrounded by social taboos. Menstrual cups (MC) are a cost-effective solution but community taboos must be overcome and MC training and safe practice strengthened.

Palabek Refugee Settlement is home to 30,000 South Sudanese refugees, mostly women and children. While there are maternal health services, the limited income generation opportunities make it difficult to afford transportation to far-flung clinics. Currently, these women are fully reliant on handouts (eg. relief food) and lack the ability to earn an income, which could be used for transportation to a clinic, improving the home environment for children or improving the family diet.

Maternal and infant mortality is significantly higher in Iraq than in other countries in the region (1). The ongoing conflict has resulted in widespread displacement and a weakened health system, increasing the three delays in seeking, reaching and receiving maternal health care. WAHA has implemented 24h, 7/7 delivery units in and around Mosul, where healthcare services are limited, including emergency obstetric care.

Female genital cutting in Mogadishu, Somalia. The project will provide information and sensitize Somali men and women, their children and social networks on the topic of female genital cutting and womens’ health. Proper information, dialogue, training and networking will contribute to eradicating FGC. Issues of social justice will be addressed, including protection and developing safety nets. Reproductive health and family planning, including issues of earlyforced marriage will be covered.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and is a critical public health threat. In India, the estimated instances per year of postpartum depression is circa 26 million, out of which 90% of them never receive any professional treatment. Reportedly, 20,000 mothers commit suicide every year because of PPD, making them the largest demography in India to commit suicide.