Portable AI Ultrasound Reducing Maternal Mortality in Sierra Leone

The Boresha afya ya mama na mtoto (improve the health of mother and child) program works to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates by connecting mothers with community health volunteers. These volunteers provide important education on topics like antenatal care and also help to increase access to immunization services. When the group formed in 2018, 531 women died during childbirth or pregnancy, but as of 2023, that number has dropped to 344 thanks to the program’s initiatives.

Jacquelyn Alvarado, a certified nurse midwife with the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute, travels across Texas to teach rural hospital staff how to deliver babies. Using a mannequin, she runs simulations covering both routine and complicated deliveries for ER nurses, paramedics, and other non-obstetrical staff who may be the only help available when a rural patient goes into labor.

The Bauchi State Impact Project aims to improve maternal and newborn health by training 100 people to become skilled birth attendants. Despite infrastructure challenges, the Project not only provides work and purpose to those trained, but also helps make childbirth safer by providing much-needed care.

In an effort to address maternal mortality rates and overall maternal health conditions, groups of midwives are hosting community dialogue sessions that serve as educational opportunities for preventing danger. Maternal and infant mortality rates have already begun to decrease, and midwives also provide support beyond education, giving mothers food and other supplies as needed.

Women volunteers with PHC Kara are going into the community to share important healthcare information with pregnant women, in an effort to improve maternal and infant mortality rates and health outcomes. The group has also received support and recognition from UNICEF’S Mama2Mama healthcare initiative and Rural Health Mission Nigeria, providing them with clean birth kits and other supplies to distribute to women.

Morehouse School of Medicine is training local women to become doulas through its Perinatal Patient Navigators program. A dozen participants — all Black women — recently graduated from the program after five months of training, ready to provide care and support to other women of color in rural communities. Studies show the presence of a doula improves labor and delivery outcomes, reduces stress and results in fewer expensive childbirth interventions, like C-sections.

Reachout Center Trust is addressing gaps in maternal healthcare with mobile outreach to connect pregnant women with clinics for full-service care up to delivery. The program has served over 200 women since forming and research shows its intervention has led to healthier babies and reduced stigma in seeking hospital care.

The Beyond Zero Clinic addresses child mortality rates by training and equipping community health promoters (CHPs) with smartphones connected to the Community Health Information System to curb preventable deaths by ensuring children get vaccinated and monitoring disease spread in real-time to ensure children receive timely medical care. During Kenya's 2023 cholera outbreak, CHPs using the digital platform reached 99.2% of the population for vaccination, containing what could have been a widespread epidemic.

The Community Health Influencer, Promoter and Services (CHIPS) program aims to reduce maternal and child mortality by increasing access to primary healthcare services. CHIPS workers conduct weekly home visits where they provide helpful information on healthcare services, preventive medicine and connections to nearby health facilities. CHIPS launched in 2018 and in 2019, data showed that maternal deaths had decreased from 120 to 90.

A group of local women are providing healthcare and helping deliver babies for those who can’t afford traditional skilled birth attendance or can’t access hospitals. Over the years, the group has delivered over 200 babies, has established a network of doctors to contact during emergencies, and now has access to a local clinic built by Network Aid for Humanitarian Assistance to provide higher quality care.