Maternity Foundation

For most of her 14 years as a midwife, whenever Andinet Tilahun had a question about how to treat a patient’s condition or carry out an unfamiliar procedure, she searched the internet for answers. It was a slow and unreliable process. And if she was working in one of the many areas outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, that have no internet access, she often had to guess the answer – leaving her worried that she was not giving some mothers and newborns the best possible care. Now, Tilahun, 33, no longer has to scour the web for solutions. Instead, she consults the Safe Delivery App on her phone to find up-to-date, global clinical guidelines and instructions on how to deal with common complications she might encounter while doing her work. All the information is downloaded onto her device, so she can consult it even when offline. Read this World Health Organization article on how our digital tool, the Safe Delivery App, helps midwives like Tilahun to save lives around the world! 👉 https://lnkd.in/duxPeUT3

⚠️ #Midwives are the single most important factor in stopping mothers and babies from dying during childbirth. Join the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem to celebrate the heroes who make #motherhood safer: https://unf.pa/mid #WednesdayWisdom

How can AI help ensure safer births? That’s what we are currently researching in Maternity Foundation, together with the Indian authorities, Neuvo Inc. Global, Aastrika Foundation, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Organon. Last week, we initiated a new round of pilot-testing in India on how to integrate an AI-powered smartbot into the Safe Delivery App.   The Safe Delivery App is a job aid and a learning and training tool for midwives and other healthcare professionals. It provides essential guidance on handling birth delivery and common complications through animated instruction videos and descriptions of practical procedures, among other features.   It is free and downloadable to use offline to ensure it is accessible to midwives working in poor and fragile areas where most maternal and neonatal deaths occur. So far, the app has reached more than 435,000 healthcare professionals globally.   To further advance the tool, Neuvo Inc. Global has developed an AI-powered conversational smartbot – the NeMa smartbot – to be integrated into the Safe Delivery App, which instantly answers birth-related questions.   As time is of the essence in managing birth complications, the hope is that the NeMa smartbot will elevate the assistance provided to midwives and other healthcare professionals through the Safe Delivery App and ultimately aid safer births.   From September and in the coming months, the smartbot will be tested based on a full version of the Safe Delivery App in India. Previous pilots have not covered all modules of the app.   Follow us on LinkedIn to learn more about this exciting project!

We are looking for a Head of HR & Operations to help lead and support our growing global team and expanding portfolio of work. As Head of HR & Operations you will work closely with the CEO and the rest of the leadership team to lead and implement HR, recruitment, organizational development, and operational processes. The Head of HR & Operations will have a strong internal and operational focus. The incumbent will in many ways be the strong internal anchor focused on ensuring development, alignment, and consistency across our three main locations in Copenhagen, India, and Ethiopia. Application deadline: As soon as possible. Applications will be handled on an ongoing basis.

Welcome to the new members of the Maternity Foundation team!   These days, the Copenhagen office is bustling as we welcome new, passionate employees and interns.    With various backgrounds, including business development, international relations and pharmacy, the newcomers to the team will each support Maternity Foundation’s goal to ensure safer births for women and newborns in low-resource settings.    Line Wienberg Laursen from Denmark, Rita Primo Oliveira from Portugal, Nicoletta Muci from Italy, Clara from Denmark, Khadija Saidi from Kenya, Oda Eiane from the US and Norway, and Ariadna from Spain (not in the picture). Welcome to the team!

🇮🇳 Discover how a dedicated midwife in India is using the Safe Delivery App to support mothers and newborns, even in remote areas. Empowering midwives with digital tools is key to improving maternal health outcomes. 🌍❤️ Read more: 👇 https://lnkd.in/dBEG4k44

(Français en dessous) Maternity Foundation’s Programme Director, Hilde Cortier, was spotted on TV in Benin during a Training of Trainers. Together with Plan International Benin, Maternity Foundation hosted a Training of Trainers, funded by PlanBørnefonden, focusing on the Safe Abortion module in the Safe Delivery App. The Safe Abortion module was launched in partnership with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The participants, coming from both health facilities, midwifery schools and the ministry, will go on to cascade the training to other healthcare professionals in the coming two months.  The Safe Delivery App is a central piece to the accompanying Safe Delivery+ programme, and has to date reached more than 435,000 healthcare professionals across 70+ countries.  Link to news story of the training (in French): --------- La directrice des programmes de Maternity Foundation, Hilde Cortier, a été aperçue à la télévision au Bénin lors d'une session de Formation des Formateurs.  En collaboration avec Plan International Bénin, Maternity Foundation a organisé une Formation de Formateurs, financée par PlanBørnefonden, axée sur les soins d'avortements sécurisés, avec l'application "Safe Delivery App". Le module sur l'avortement sans risque a été lancé en partenariat avec United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Les participants, issus à la fois des établissements de santé, des écoles de sages-femmes et du ministère, se chargeront ensuite de transmettre la formation à d'autres professionnels de la santé dans les deux mois à venir.    L'application Safe Delivery App est un élément central du programme Safe Delivery+ qui l'accompagne. À ce jour, elle a été utilisée par plus de 435 000 professionnels de la santé dans plus de 70 pays.    Lien vers la reportage de la formation (en français): https://lnkd.in/d4U-HVaX

Tech and AI 🤝 Maternal and Newborn Health   Maternity Foundation's long-standing partner, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), recently published an article on how we work with the Safe Delivery App and an AI Smartbot to help midwives improve their skills by the use of technology.   In the article, Lovepreet Saini, a midwife and midwifery educator in Ludhiana, India, shares how the videos and concise formats in Maternity Foundation's Safe Delivery App were crucial in helping her pass her exams despite the challenges of her busy schedule. The Safe Delivery App, together with the accompanying programme, has reached more than 435,000 healthcare professionals across the globe. Currently, we are pilot-testing an AI-powered conversational smartbot in India to be integrated into the Safe Delivery App, that will be able to provide easier and more timely access to information. The smartbot is has been developed in partnership with Neuvo Inc. Global. and is based on support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Organon. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dQXE5-Eh #Tech4Good

Women coming together to prioritise women's health We had the honor of hosting an afternoon event together with GynZone: We Share Women's Care and Angella Invest, presenting our work and the current state of maternal health, listening in on the important work GynZone does, and meeting with inspiring individuals from Angella Invest. The ripple effects of investing in women are extraordinary, where for example every $1 spent to improve women’s health has a 3x return. Or where investing in women and closing the women’s health gap, can boost the global economy with at least $1 trillion by 2040, according to a World Economic Forum and McKinsey Health Institute report. But beyond the economic benefits, investing in women’s health is about building a future where every woman can access the healthcare she needs to thrive. A special thanks to Sara Kindberg Adelskov, GynZone, and Kristine Leerbeck, Angella Invest, for your partnership in planning this inspiring event.

📢 Calling speakers fluent in French (France), preferably with a knowledge of medical terminology and/or with a medical background. We are looking for someone based in Denmark to help us with audio recordings of videos in the French version of the Safe Delivery App. The recordings will take place in Copenhagen. We would love to hear from you! To apply, or if you want to know more, send an email at your earliest convenience to sarah@maternity.dk.