The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around 717 000 babies die each year worldwide at birth (e.g. from inability to breathe immediately after giving birth). In Uganda, the neonatal mortality rate is 19 per 1000 live births in 2021. In Belgium, this was 2.87 per 1000 live births in 2021.

One of the Daktari Project educational projects is training midwives and nurses of the Kilembe Mines Hospital in the essential skills of CPR and newborn support. We want to help reduce neonatal mortality in and around Kilembe and give the newborn an optimal start in life. With the help of the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program we try to achieve this. This is an evidence-based educational programme to teach neonatal resuscitation techniques in areas with limited resources and is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and a number of other global health organizations. The educational material is accessible to everyone.

More information about the worldwide Helping Babies Survive program: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/helping-babies-survive/Pages/default.aspx

HOW DO WE HELP?

At the request of the midwives at Kilembe Mines Hospital, we started providing this training in 2014. Every year, we visit Kilembe with a team of doctors, nurses and midwives to teach intensively for one week. The acquired skills are then regularly repeated by the local midwives. In 2019, we also provided these lessons to nursing and midwifery students at the Rwenzori Nursing School in Kasese. The lessons focus mainly on neonatal resuscitation (Helping Babies Breathe) but have been extended over the years to Helping Babies Survive with extra lessons on e.g. essential care for the newborn; care for a premature etc.

In the short term we would like to train some midwives on the spot to become teachers of the Helping Babies Breathe lessons. They will be able to organise booster sessions themselves, train new midwives and students in midwifery. 

HATS FOR KILEMBE MINES HOSPITAL

Since 2016 we have Daktari knitmamas and grandmothers who knit hats during the year for the newborns in Kilembe. Keeping your head warm is an important measure to give the newborn a good start.

A knitting pattern can be downloaded here:

RENOVATING THE MATERNITY WARD

Through little infrastructral changes the staff of Kilembe Mines Hospital has tried to update their limited maternity ward and delivery rooms, e.g. washable curtains between the beds, more storage room to organise equipment, new hygienic mattresses… This allow babies to be delivered in better conditions and will also provide better care and treatment in the event of problems occurring during or shortly after birth. In this way, the acquired techniques can be applied even better.

In 2024, the construction of the neonatal ward was successfully completed. Funded by Daktari Project vzw, it marks a milestone in our ongoing efforts to improve care and facilities for newborns and their families.