Maternal & Newborn Health

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.

m-mama is international

Tanzania: We launched m-mama in Tanzania’s Lake Zone with Vodafone Foundation and The ELMA Foundation in 2013, in collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, Pathfinder International, D-tree International, and other partners. Now, we are finishing the program’s scale-up and preparing to hand it over to our local partners, who will continue to operate it independently.

Lesotho: Lesotho is the first country that has committed to adopting the m-mama system countrywide. We launched m-mama in Lesotho with Vodafone Foundation in 2020 in collaboration with the Government of Lesotho, Clinton Health Access Initiative, and other partners. Now, we are working closely with our partners to implement and expand the program throughout the country.
International Expansion: The m-mama program is a demonstrated cost-effective intervention to improving health and saving the lives of women and newborns. Working with our existing and new partners, we are in the process of expanding the m-mama solution to other countries with similar issues regarding maternal and newborn health to increase its impact and save more lives.

M-MAMA SEES SYSTEMS AS SOLUTIONS

Emergency Transportation: The central component of m-mama is an emergency transport system that can address complications as quickly and effectively as possible. We set up and operate a dispatch center, where trained dispatchers operate a digital app that supports patient triage and connects them with transport. We also develop and manage a network of trained community drivers to transport pregnant and postpartum women and newborns to the care they need.
Digital Technology: We create innovative digital technology that supports emergency identification, triage, transport, and impact analysis.
Government Partnerships: We build deep partnerships with host governments, securing buy-in from day one. Our Stage-Gate approach ensures that together, we can evaluate the program’s progress and impact before making major investments.
Community Engagement: We disseminate informational material about the m-mama program to empower women and their partners with knowledge about how and when to seek health services.

Our Work