To understand the burden in countries with humanitarian settings, data systems must improve to reflect the realities of sub-national crises and areas of fragility. As the global community looks toward 2030, and with the upcoming International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference in May 2023 in Cape Town, it is imperative relevant actors better understand if and how MNH needs and services are being prioritized in humanitarian settings by evaluating HRPs in each context and seeking to influence them if MNH is not prioritized.
Providing Essential Maternal and Newborn Care in Yemen’s Prolonged Crisis: A profile of BFD Yemen’s work supported by UNFPA
Samia AlmutawakelBuilding Foundation for Development (BFD), funded by UNFPA, is currently working to reduce maternal and infant mortality in Yemen’s prolonged crisis by running the emergency obstetric and newborn project as an emergency humanitarian response. BFD Yemen will be presenting their experiences delivering integrated RH services in Yemen at a panel at the International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference in May 2023.
“We end up losing babies for reasons we can easily prevent.” Insights from Annes Mboya, nurse-midwife at Kakuma Refugee Camp
Annes Mboya, Nurse-Midwife, IRC; Andrea Edman, Advocacy & Communications Specialist, IAWG Newborn InitiativeIn honor of World Refugee Day, the IAWG Newborn Initiative interviewed Ms. Annes Mboya, a nurse-midwife working in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, who shares her insights into the challenges faced by providers, as well as mothers and newborns, in Kakuma.
Gender-Based Violence and Maternal and Newborn Health Outcomes
AlignMNH, IAWG Maternal Newborn Health Sub-Working GroupTo mark International Women's Day, AlignMNH in partnership with the IAWG Newborn Initiative interviewed three healthcare providers with experience working in fragile and crisis-affected contexts about the intersection of gender-based violence and maternal and newborn care.
Tracking Progress Towards Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Targets in Countries Affected by Humanitarian Crises
Hannah Tappis, Emily Bryce, Ties BoermaThe Maternal and Neonatal Mortality in Humanitarian Settings Dashboard is a tool for stakeholders working in countries affected by humanitarian crises to identify and compare the most recent maternal mortality, stillbirth and neonatal mortality burden estimates from national household surveys and global modelling exercises. Country profiles present the most recent national survey and modelled mortality estimates, as well as available notes on sampling strategy adjustments for household surveys and data sources used in statistical modelling.
Every Woman, Every Child – but not Everywhere: The Unfinished Agenda for Maternal and Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings
Healthy Newborn NetworkThis blog covers the multi-sectoral process undertaken to create the Newborn Roadmap and reflects on the value of creating the IAWG Newborn initiative, as well as recent activities and progress made by the multi-agency partnership. The blog ends with a call to action to President Kaljulaid and other global stakeholders to work with IAWG, the INI, and partners to build upon the agenda that has been prioritized in the Roadmap, to elevate the importance of working within humanitarian settings, and to advance the work already undertaken/promoted by many of us.
The EQUAL research consortium is working to generate evidence on effective approaches to deliver life-saving MNH care in countries affected by conflict including in the DRC, Nigeria, Somalia, and South Sudan.
In November 2022, the Wilson Centre and UNFPA held an event on the impact of climate change on maternal and newborn health outcomes. This article is a summary of topics of discussion and agreed priorities moving forward.
An event in July 2022 hosted by the Wilson Center and UNFPA, in collaboration with IAWG and the White Ribbon Alliance, focused on maternal and newborn health in humanitarian settings and the important role of midwives in humanitarian contexts. Panelists shared strategies to strengthen midwifery-led health care through targeted investment, training, and improved collaboration and referral pathways.
This features an interview with Dr. Henia Dakkak, Head of Policy and Liaison Unit, Humanitarian Unit, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), who spoke about the lasting effects of conflict, trauma, and displacement on the health of Ukrainian women and girls.