Maternity Foundation - Preventing Maternal and Newborn Mortality and Morbidity

Health & research

Jul 10

Who: Maternity Foundation

What: Preventing maternal and newborn mortality and mobidity

Where: India, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Tanzania, Myanmar, and three additional countries in the Middle East and/or Sub-Saharan Africa

Project period: 2023-2025

Web: Maternity Foundation

It should never cost life to give life
Despite good progress, the world continues to face critical maternal mortality issues. Almost every other minute, a woman dies during pregnancy or birth and every sixth second, a newborn will suffer the same fate. Most of the deaths happen in low-resource settings and most of them could be prevented if the women receive quality care from a skilled healthcare worker. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed much of the hard-won progress to improve the health of women and their newborns.

The Safe Delivery+ Programme
With the Safe Delivery+ programme, Maternity Foundation provides essential digital learning and instructions related to pregnancy and childbirth emergencies to healthcare workers in some of the world’s most remote and fragile settings.

By the end of 2025, Maternity Foundation will double its reach to a total of 600,000 healthcare workers across Africa, Asia, and Middle East. Maternity Foundation will enhance its digital solutions, expand its portfolio of clinical content, and develop and scale effective training methods to obtain a more motivated and competent healthcare worker. By doing so, Maternity Foundation will enhance the quality of healthcare services to pregnant and labouring women, new mothers, and newborns.

The Safe Delivery App is a key component in the Safe Delivery+ Programme
It is a digital and simple training and learning tool for midwives and healthcare workers on the most common childbirth-related complications. It is free, works offline and features include animated instruction-videos, quizzes, practical procedures, and drug lists that healthcare workers can always refer to – either on the job, in their spare time or as part of a training. The App’s MyLearning platform allows users to practice and test their knowledge in their own time and pace.

Spreading lifesaving knowledge

“I use the Safe Delivery App every day. I use it in my work, and when I’m not busy. I use it to check up on procedures and guidelines. Our work is risky – we have the lives of mothers and their babies in our hands every day. The Safe Delivery App makes it easier for us to manage. It’s very helpful. In fact, I think all midwives should use it.”

- Nicola Zewge, midwife in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp, Ethiopia.

Together with partners, Maternity Foundation integrates digital solutions and training methods into national education and training programmes for healthcare workers. This contributes to a larger reach, enhanced sustainability, and local anchoring of the intervention. It furthermore ensures that the App is not a stand-alone tool but a strong component, embedded within national programmes.

To date, the Safe Delivery App is used by healthcare workers in more than 15 countries. From large hospitals in India to small clinics in Haiti, midwifery schools in Benin, and refugee camps in Ethiopia. Maternity Foundation have reached more than 300,000 healthcare workers with demonstrated results and impact.