Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

During the first 60 seconds of life, neonatal resuscitation procedures are highly effective in reducing complications and increasing survival of newborn babies. However, an additional intervention may be needed when neonates need a little help with their first breath, often requiring a ventilation device. Such a device is harder to find in low- and middle-income countries. The solution is a manual and portable device for initial respiratory support that allows positive pressure ventilation. It will act as a respiratory trigger to improve chances for spontaneous breathing.

Rural areas in LMIC are often geographically, culturally and economically marginalized, and may lack mobile and internet coverage, turning communication between communities and health providers weak. Thus, key mechanisms to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes like skilled birth attendance (SBA) are not achieved. In some rural places of Peru, SBA is less than 70%. Therefore, we propose a community-based Information System which will link pregnant women (PW), community agents (CAs), traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and Health Centers (HCs).

Traditionally, hard-to-reach rural areas show increased maternal and child mortality. In Peru, rural villages of the Amazon basin have the worst health indicators in the country and many are only accessible by medical river vessels. The under-five and maternal mortality rates are well above the national average. The Mama River Program, a maternal and newborn program for remote riverine areas in the Peruvian Amazon, wants to change this.

Mental illnesses represent the highest burden of disease globally, the most prevalent of which is depression. Depression during pregnancy and delivery is very common but usually neglected, although it negatively affects both women and babies. In developing countries, 50% of pregnant women show symptoms of depression and 10-15% have major depressive disorders. Integration of effective screening and treatment services for depression into prenatal care is critical to improving mental health of both mothers and children.

Over 200 million children worldwide are at risk of losing their developmental potential, creating and sustaining intergenerational poverty. Data is scarce but a pilot found that more than half of children in Lima, Peru, have neurodevelopmental delay. Research shows that early stimulation and responsive parent-child interactions help to build young neuronal density and buffer the effects of poverty. However, distributing this knowledge to vulnerable families has been a challenge.

A Mile for the Brain: Use of Social Entrepreneurship in Providing Last-Mile Access of Enhanced Complementary Foods for Weaning Children in Rural Areas

Chamas for Change: Building Adult Capabilities to Safeguard Children’s Developmental Potential through Mother-Child Clubs in Kenya

Strengthening Health Systems for High-Risk Newborn Care: An Integrated Hospital-Community GIS System for Sustainable Delivery of Quality Care during Early Child Brain Development in Rural Uganda

In Pakistan, as in most developing countries, early child development is a neglected area of public health. Malnutrition and a mother’s incapability to supply effective care can contribute significantly to development delays in children. The innovators at the Association for Social Development are creating an intervention that aims to engage private clinics to promote optimal early development of young children in poor urban environments, through an integrated package of mother and child care.