Last year, we made a bold Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to invest a further US$10.6 million to scale our award-winning AdaraNewborn model in Uganda. Our big goal is to halve newborn deaths and stillbirths in 10 health facilities in Uganda over the next decade. With this investment, we aim to reach 500,000 mothers and babies and save close to 7,000 lives.
Uganda is one of 64 countries that are not on-track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for newborn survival – 12 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. New solutions like AdaraNewborn are urgently needed!
In the 12 months since we made our Commitment to Action, we’ve worked hard to strengthen the AdaraNewborn model and scale it across Uganda, building on the sustained success at our first site and Centre of Excellence, Kiwoko Hospital. Here are some highlights:
Opened a new newborn unit
In January 2024, we opened an expanded 20-bed newborn unit at Luwero Hospital, a public hospital that delivers 4,000 babies each year. In the hospital’s previous unit, five babies shared a single bed, and many were referred to other health facilities to receive more specialist care. With support from our partner, the DAK Foundation, we equipped the newborn unit with lifesaving equipment, including incubators, kangaroo mother care chairs, phototherapy lights and radiant warmers, and trained six nurses in newborn care. We celebrated this AdaraNewborn milestone alongside facility staff and Luwero District officials.
Increased focus on maternal care
Over the last year, we placed increased emphasis on strengthening maternal care across our AdaraNewborn sites. We particularly focused on Nakaseke Hospital, a public hospital where 3,500 women deliver each year. As our second AdaraNewborn site, we delivered basic and intermediate maternity training to the clinical staff covering essential topics as post-partum haemorrhage, pre-term labour and resuscitation. We also equipped and supported infrastructural upgrades in the hospital’s labour suite.
Adapted our flagship Hospital to home (H2H) programme
In March 2024, we hosted a workshop with the Ministry of Health to bring our flagship Hospital to Home (H2H) programme to second AdaraNewborn site, Nakaseke Hospital. Attendees included government, district, facility and community stakeholders, who shared their knowledge, expertise and ideas. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with the Ministry to adapt the programme, monitor progress at Nakaseke and ultimately support national implementation of this lifesaving programme. Five years into the programme we’re seeing great results and our H2H outcomes paper will be published soon.
Provided newborn care training to nurses and midwives
In October 2023, we partnered with the Ugandan Ministry of Health (MoH) to provide newborn care training to 80 nurses and midwives from all over the country at four sites. The training was designed by the MoH with Adara providing equipment and funding and Kiwoko Hospital facilitating. We also collaborated with the Ugandan National Newborn Steering Committee to deliver training to national newborn trainers who are crucial actors in Uganda’s efforts to reduce newborn deaths.
Upskilled hospital electricians and engineers
We are passionate about ensuring that the medical equipment we supply through our AdaraNewborn programme is maintained and repaired locally. In the past year, we have upskilled 30 hospital electricians and engineers to maintain and repair newborn equipment. After training, these dedicated technicians received ongoing mentorship, both at their home facilities and in the Kiwoko Hospital workshop to develop their skills. We know that biomedical engineering is one critical piece of the system that needs to be strengthened to improve newborn health. A key focus of AdaraNewborn is developing biomedical engineering capabilities in each of our partner hospitals
Begun scoping new AdaraNewborn sites
This is just the beginning for AdaraNewborn. In the next year alone, we will partner with an additional two health centres to implement the AdaraNewborn model and train staff at five lower-level health centres on resuscitation, stabilisation, referrals, and more.
We are strengthening maternal and newborn care in the entire central Uganda region. This will not only save maternal and newborn lives in the area, but inspire other regions to adapt and adopt our lifesaving AdaraNewborn model.
If you would like to know more or get involved, please contact Director of Partnerships, Jessica Kubowicz on jessica.kubowicz@adaragroup.org
