Tiny hands press against Alima Mustafa’s skin. Her niece’s eyes gaze up at her. She was born at just 29 weeks at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s emergency obstetric and newborn care facility at the Nilefa Keiji Hospital in Borno state, Nigeria. Her mother—Alima’s sister—passed away a day after giving birth.
Alima holds her sister’s baby girl in a kangaroo pouch, which is designed to provide extended skin-to-skin contact and improve a newborn’s chance of survival. This technique doesn’t just warm the baby—it also helps maintain her emotional balance and reduce newborn illnesses.
In Nigeria, the mortality rate of premature babies is seven times higher than in Western Europe. MSF teams are working to close that alarming gap. We provide support to a network of maternity units across the region and constructed a hospital entirely dedicated to care for premature infants last June.
We rely on individuals like you to support MSF’s vital work, including helping premature babies survive and providing vital maternal health care. Power our lifesaving care in more than 70 countries worldwide with a generous donation today >>
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In 2023, MSF assisted 337,000 births, including cesarean sections. We provide mothers and babies with high-quality, essential medical care in countries grappling with humanitarian crises.
Here’s a glimpse into the care your support helps provide:
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Premature babies born in the Central African Republic die at a rate that is 17 times higher than in Western Europe. In 2022, MSF opened a comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care unit in Bangui’s Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Communautaire. This 43-bed unit is the only facility in the city providing free emergency obstetric and neonatal care.
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In Kajo Keji, South Sudan, MSF is providing essential medical care in a community in recovery from years of intense violence. From February 2023 to 2024, our teams provided lifesaving care to 272 mothers and 281 babies. MSF teams continue to work diligently to address the health care needs of the community.
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Over a year of war in Gaza has pushed maternity care to the brink. MSF-supported Nasser Hospital is the last hospital providing maternity care in Khan Younis, where teams handle 25 to 30 deliveries a day. Our teams continue to do everything they can to meet the escalating needs of mothers and babies amid devastating violence.
Our emergency obstetric care, maternal care, and neonatal care are a lifeline for mothers and babies worldwide. But we can’t do this alone.
Make a gift today and help deliver urgently needed care in over 70 countries >>
Gratefully,
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières USA
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