Two thirds of all maternal deaths around the world occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Thousands of women throughout the region do not have access to the care they need or experience extreme delays in seeking care.
Three delays contribute to poor birth outcomes and maternal and infant mortality: delays in seeking, reaching, and receiving care. Maternal complications cannot be easily predicted, and several components prevent an ambulance-based system from serving all members of the population. In partnership with Vodafone Foundation, we created m-mama, a technology-enabled public/private system that targets the second delay, connecting women and their newborns to quality care.
The m-mama program provides 24/7 emergency transportation to health facilities for women and newborns in sub-Saharan Africa.