Reducing infant mortality

By teaching simple measures such as the "kangaroo method" of holding the newborn child and through promoting exclusive breastfeeding already within the first years of the project the infant mortality rate could be reduced considerably. The teachings in the communities were done by so-called health promoters who are trained and monitored by the Newborn Community Health-team. 

Building a Community Training Centre

In order to scale up this project in other regions in Kenya, we have been supporting a follow-up project since 2012. As its main objective a community training center for mother-and-child health at Kijabe Hospital was established.
At this centre Community Health Extension Workers are trained and monitored, who in turn are training local volunteers who serve as a link between the communities and the formal health system. Thus, the utilization of health centers will be increased and professional health workers will be sensitized to and trained in topics of newborn health.