Pregnancy, childbirth, and a baby’s earliest days are when mothers and newborns are extremely vulnerable. Health care intervention in the short term can make a huge difference in the lifetime ahead. Around the world, too many mothers and newborns still face life‑threatening risks simply because they lack access to basic medical services.
That’s why we’re sharing stories of healthy mothers and babies made possible at every stage: during pregnancy, in labor, and after birth. These success stories show what a difference it can make when mothers and newborns are surrounded by care from Charity Alliance members like Helen Keller Intl, World Renew, Americares, Partners in Health, Action Against Hunger, and MAP International. Together, they offer a hopeful reminder that with the right support, every mother can have the safe birth they deserve, and every child can have a healthy start to life.
During Pregnancy
When Parbati Khatri and her two-year-old son, Umesh, attended a mothers’ health group meeting, one of Helen Keller Intl’s frontline nutrition workers noticed how thin they both were. At the health facility in their community in Nepal, Umesh was diagnosed with severe malnutrition, and Parbati, who was then six months pregnant, learned she was also malnourished.
The health facility quickly began Umesh’s treatment of ready-to-use therapeutic food, a nutrition paste that was crucial to his recovery. Parbati also learned about locally available nutritious foods, like eggs, that she could eat to help her gain weight and recover from her own malnutrition.
Three months later, Umesh and his mother both recovered, and Parbati gave birth to a healthy baby, Manoj. Parbati has also continued following the advice she received at the health center, which has helped her stay healthy and have the energy to keep up with her two small children. “I am glad that my child and I received timely support,” she said. “After I knew that I needed to eat more and better for my child to grow healthy in my womb, I started eating more vegetables and eggs.”
During Pregnancy
In the remote hills of Laos, Mrs. Ting lives a quiet life in a small village with her husband and four children. But her journey to motherhood was anything but quiet. “When I had my first and second child, I had severe morning sickness and headaches… and had difficulty breathing when I slept,” she recalls. “During the first trimester, I lost my appetite and wanted to only eat a soft stone… I don’t know why I craved it.”
In many parts of Laos, consuming this type of “stone” is not unusual, but she was likely experiencing pica during her pregnancies — a condition marked by cravings for non-food items like dirt, clay, or ice. With health care services limited in her remote village, she was only able to attend one or two antenatal check-ups per pregnancy, well below the recommended four visits.
But everything changed with her third and fourth pregnancies. Thankfully, they were far easier. What made the difference? Support from traditional birth attendants (TBAs) trained by World Renew. These local TBAs are equipped with essential knowledge — from administering iron tablets to recognizing warning signs in pregnancy. Since their arrival, Mrs. Ting has seen a transformation in the health of expectant mothers in her village. She marvels at how they understood her strange craving: it was a sign of a mineral deficiency.
“After I started taking the iron tablets from the TBAs, I no longer had severe morning sickness and headaches. I had an appetite, I could sleep well, and my arms and legs were not numb. I felt healthier and could breathe easily,” she shares.
In Labor
Every mother wants the same thing after giving birth: to hear their baby cry, proof that their newborn has taken their first, lifegiving breath. Martha, a young mother in rural Liberia, did not hear a wail. Her tiny boy was not breathing. Then, a midwife moved quickly to resuscitate her newborn son and finally she heard a cry. “I was happy when I heard the baby,” says Martha. “I am so very grateful to clinic staff for enabling me to take my baby home alive.”
That was no accident. The health center where she was receiving care is one of the clinics participating in Americares’ maternal health programs. At these clinics, supervisors and health workers receive in-person training on safe birth, monthly mentoring visits by Americares staff, a full set of neonatal resuscitation equipment, routine skills practice, and other essential newborn supplies. This combination of training, mentoring, and supplies directly addresses Liberia’s high infant mortality rate.
After six months, Americares’ training boosted the quality-of-care rating at the clinics from a 27% rating to 83%, on average. “This comprehensive support improves women’s health overall,” says Saman Nizami, Americares’ Senior Director of Africa and Middle East programs, “and saving lives builds trust in the community.”
“Everybody has the right to give birth, and every child has the right to live,” says Midwife Roseline Williams. “When [there are] skilled people in the facility, it will be better for us all the time.”
In Labor
At 36 weeks pregnant, Ntsoane Mofao faced a daunting decision. Her village, situated in a remote area of Lesotho, was miles away from the nearest health facility. The paths were treacherous, especially for someone in their third trimester. Determined to ensure a safe delivery, she chose to stay at a maternal waiting home.
“I came here because I wanted to be safe,” Mofao recalls of her time at the Partners In Health (PIH) Lesotho-supported facility. “The roads to Nohana Health Center are hard to travel, and I didn’t want to risk going into labor at home with no medical help.”
Maternal waiting homes are residential facilities with access to qualified medical professionals. They provide a place for women from hard-to-reach areas to await their delivery, ensuring timely access to skilled midwives. This approach has been instrumental in reducing maternal and child mortality, particularly in regions with challenging terrains.
Many pregnant women in Lesotho live hours away from health facilities, often relying on untrained traditional birth attendants at home, where obstetric emergencies can quickly become fatal. To address this, PIH established maternal waiting homes, providing safe spaces for expectant mothers under medical supervision.
During her stay at a maternal waiting home, Mofao received comprehensive care including regular prenatal check-ups. Beyond medical attention, the waiting home offered educational sessions on childbirth, postnatal care, and immunizations.
“I learned so much during my stay,” she reflects. “Before, I didn’t fully understand why vaccines were so important, but now I know they protect my baby from diseases like measles and polio. I don’t want my child to suffer from preventable illnesses.” She gave birth to a healthy baby girl and stayed at the facility for two days post-delivery, during which both mother and child were closely monitored.
Post-Birth
At a hospital in Tanzania, sick children fight their way back to health with support from Action Against Hunger. Babies at the Kiomboi Therapeutic Feeding Unit receive treatment for malnutrition. Some are also ill with fever, malaria, and other complications.
To raise awareness in the community, Action Against Hunger trained community health volunteers, local government leaders, and other health workers within the district. Their efforts paid off. The number of children admitted to the treatment facility rose significantly, and more parents ensured proper follow-up after being discharged. The mothers at the center learn about healthy diets, breastfeeding, and other ways to improve their own health and their children’s health. In the community, health workers deliver these messages to other women.
“I am happy we can save lives, change the lives of children, and raise awareness about what malnutrition is, its causes, and its treatment. We are changing community perception away from connecting the disease with beliefs about witchcraft,” says Dr. Salma Mahayu.
For some people in the community, traditional beliefs around witchcraft and its ability to cause childhood illness meant that children were not taken to doctors or other medical professionals until they were extremely malnourished and sick. Dr. Salma and others in the community are working to increase awareness about the signs and symptoms of malnutrition to get their children treated sooner.
Before the facility existed, people had to go to the regional hospital over 60 miles away for lifesaving treatment. Some families couldn’t afford to travel, and many were forced to stay at home with sick children until they lost their lives. Now, over 340 children have been treated for severe acute malnutrition as families get the support they need.
Post-Birth
Apenisa was only 5 months old but already spent more time in the hospital than most people do in their entire lives. He’d been born with a congenital heart defect, and like half of all children in Fiji who are born with a heart condition, he would need surgery within his first year of life if he were to have a chance of surviving.
Unfortunately, his family was not wealthy. There was simply no way they could afford the thousands of dollars it would cost to get their baby to a cardiac surgeon. The local hospital staff had done all they could to prolong Apenisa’s life this long, but his condition only continued to worsen.
By this time, he had gone into severe congestive heart failure, struggled to breathe, and was unable to eat. His mother felt so helpless, watching her baby suffer in that hospital bed. She tried to steel herself for the heart-breaking inevitability of leaving the hospital without her son.
Then one morning, a doctor at the hospital brought news of hope — an international medical mission team was coming to this very hospital, and they had both the expertise and the medical supplies to offer children like Apenisa cardiac surgery for free. When the team arrived, led by Dr. Shaun Setty, they unloaded boxes of surgical supplies from MAP International, and set to work. Little Apenisa was one of 30 children that the team operated on that week.
“The baby had a successful cardiac repair and was put back on the road to recovery,” Dr. Setty said. His mother was overcome with gratitude, because she knew that “otherwise, she would have lost the baby.”
Investing in maternal and newborn health care is an investment in a healthier future around the world. Parents and children who receive the care and advice they need during pregnancy, labor, and in the newborn stage are set up for success for the rest of that child’s life.
Give at work to one of these leading charities during your workplace giving campaign or as a gift for Mother’s Day!
Thank you to Action Against Hunger, Partners in Health, Americares, World Renew, MAP International, and Helen Keller Intl for providing content for this blog.
