How to keep a newborn - Refugee Situations

Approximately 295,000 women die each year during and after pregnancy and childbirth, and 2.4 million kids die in their first month of life. According to recent studies, 60 percent of stillbirths and 45 percent of neonatal deaths occur in nations that are experiencing a humanitarian disaster or are in fragile situations.

UNHCR undertook a three-year project with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to tackle maternal and neonatal mortality rates in refugee situations, as well as to improve the access and reliability of voluntary contraceptive services. The initiative concentrated in low, high-impact interventions and was conducted in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

In all three countries, an end-of-project evaluation revealed improved maternal and infant care and family planning, as well as enhanced access to maternal and newborn health services, training materials, medicine, and medical supplies. In all countries, infant mortality rates have declined by more than 25%, and the fatality rate for newborn complications has decreased.