Maternity Foundation

Raising Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Awareness in India 🤰🙌 GDM poses a significant health challenge for mothers and babies around the world, including in India where it affects approximately four million live births every year.   If left uncontrolled, GDM can lead to severe complications for both mother and baby, increasing the risk of pregnancy complications, premature birth, and delivery-related issues. Moreover, both mother and child face a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.  On this year’s National GDM Awareness Day in India, Maternity Foundation’s India hub held activities at healthcare facilities of  Damoh and Chhatarpur districts in Madhya Pradesh to bring awareness to this maternal condition. Through this initiative, we reached nearly 2,700 women through: 👩🏫Information sessions for pregnant women, explaining the risks, prevention, and treatment of GDM. 👩⚕️Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) screenings to identify and manage GDM early. Did you know that Maternity Foundation is leveraging its digital tool, the Safe Delivery App to equip healthcare professionals in India with the essential knowledge and confidence to manage #GDM effectively?    Read our recent blog post on maternity.dk about our work to empower healthcare professionals in detecting (GDM) in Madhya Pradesh in collaboration with the Indian government and funded by World Diabetes Foundation. https://lnkd.in/gDm82k3x

Nigeria 🇳🇬 is determined to crush #MaternalMortality and #morbidity! This will be achieved through a sector-wide approach called"MAMII" (Maternal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiatives). On behalf of Maternity Foundation I just made a commitment to play our part during the World Economic Forum Global Alliance for Women’s Health Global Activators Network on Maternal Health workshop in #Abuja supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare. We will support with our evidence-based innovative #globalGood #microlearning #platform for predominantly #midwives International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) adapted to Nigerian guidelines, language & context to improve the quality care for Nigerian #pregnant #women. https://lnkd.in/d6sPxdhb Toyin Saraki @UNFPANigeria World Health Organization #WorldBank #GFF Gates Foundation PMNCH David Imbago-Jácome The room is buzzing with action and determination. Watch this space!

We’re thrilled to have Abra Pearl and Bright Mary presenting our work to promote perinatal mental health at the 10th World Congress of Women’s Mental Health in Bengaluru, India. 🧠✨ The congress, held from March 5-8, 2025, at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), brought together 1,000 delegates from over 50 countries—uniting globally to discuss critical mental health issues.  As highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO), anxiety and depression during the perinatal period are common, affecting 1 in 10 women in high-income countries and 1 in 5 in low- and middle-income countries.  Poor mental health during pregnancy is linked to higher risks of complications and negative outcomes for both mothers and infants, including low birth weight, premature births, and feeding difficulties. It can also disrupt the bonding process, leading to emotional and behavioral challenges for children.  This emphasizes the urgent need to advance perinatal mental health, especially in low- and middle-income countries. At the conference, Abra Pearl presented our new training module on Perinatal Mental Health, developed in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and integrated into the widely-used digital tool, the Safe Delivery App.  The App is an evidence-based job aid, training and micro learning tool designed to support predominantly midwives in providing quality basic and emergency care during pregnancy and around childbirth, to both pregnant women, mothers and their newborns. It is free and once downloaded, it works offline on smartphones and tablets. To date, the App and programme have reached more than 455,000 midwives and healthcare professionals worldwide in more than 60 low-and middle-income countries, making a significant impact on maternal and newborn health. 🌍💪 A big thank you to everyone who continues to support this important work! 🙏 #PerinatalMentalHealth #Midwifery #IAWMH

We've made significant progress, but the need—and the opportunity—is far greater. Women are still dying from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, and if we don’t accelerate change, another additional 1 million lives could be lost by 2030. In today’s landscape, we must rethink our approach, regroup, and reinvest. Technology, combined with stronger, smarter partnerships, will play a crucial role in driving this transformation. At Maternity Foundation, we have a proven model to tackle this challenge. By investing in our future platform and scaling our efforts, we can reach and support even more midwives, ensuring safer births for women and their newborns. These were some of my key messages at a special dinner in Verbier on Friday, where I had the opportunity to engage with a collective of potential supporters. A heartfelt thank you to Karoline and Johan Ewald Lorentzen for hosting and bringing together such an inspiring group 🙏

🚀 Exciting updates! Maternity Foundation is forging new partnerships—and reigniting old ones—for transformative work in Tanzania & Ethiopia! 🌍✨ Through an innovative initiative powered by our Safe Delivery App and programme, we will drive real impact on quality care by midwives. We are committed to accelerating progress in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity by building on proven solutions and effective strategies. Stay tuned! 🔥 #HealthcareInnovation #Midwifery #DigitalHealth  Franka Cadée, Hilde Cortier

🌍 Global development is under mounting pressure from various forces, combined with immense strain on available funding, which has recently intensified due to the freeze on USAID funding. In this blog post, I argue that we must embrace new approaches and partnerships to build a healthier, more sustainable world—including engaging a new generation of strategic philanthropists  Want to know more? Then read my recent blog on maternity.dk.  https://lnkd.in/dApj2yQr

Maternity Foundation is thrilled to have Ingrid Brodin supporting us pro bono as a Strategic Advisor for our Global Maternity Partner Programme. Ingrid brings a wealth of international experience in strategy, marketing, customer relations, business development, and project planning and implementation, and is helping drive the growth of our Global Maternity Partner Programme by forging strategic partnerships for Maternity Foundation worldwide.    Global Maternity Partners are a small group of high-profile philanthropic investors, each of whom shares Maternity Foundation’s goal – to ensure safer childbirths worldwide. To date, the group includes GRIEG FOUNDATION, Frececo and Charlotte Damgaard, Chair of Damgaard Company. Maternity Foundation plans to expand the group in coming years with more innovative and inspiring investors from around the world, providing financial support to Maternity Foundation’s continued roll out of its Safe Delivery+ Programme, designed to continually enhance the quality of care provided around childbirth. 

🤰🩺 On National Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Awareness Day in India, we are proud to share a new blog post about our efforts to empower healthcare professionals in detecting gestational diabetes (GDM) in Madhya Pradesh through the Safe Delivery+ approach. The blog, written by Julie Strøyer Rasmussen, Dr Bhaskar Sen and Disha Agarwalla, members of the project team at Maternity Foundation, highlights our collaborative work with the Indian government, funded by World Diabetes Foundation. In the post, the authors emphasize the critical importance of preventing and managing GDM —a condition affecting approximately four million live births in India every year. If left uncontrolled, GDM can lead to severe complications for both mother and baby, increasing the risk of pregnancy complications, premature birth, and delivery-related issues. Moreover, both mother and child face a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. To address these challenges, Maternity Foundation is leveraging its digital tool, the Safe Delivery App, alongside effective training methods to equip healthcare professionals with the essential knowledge and confidence to manage GDM effectively at district and village levels. Additionally, the project focuses on strengthening supply chain management and integrating GDM screening and care into routine maternal healthcare. The project is already making a meaningful impact in improving GDM services in underserved districts. Read the full piece on maternity.dk and stay connected with us on LinkedIn for updates as we share the project’s results!  🔗 https://lnkd.in/dn8iaTwH

🌍✨ On #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women worldwide. But today is also a time to reflect on a critical issue—one that is not just vital to women’s well-being but also fundamental to the prosperity of families, communities, and economies: maternal health. In this blog post, I argue that investing in maternal health isn’t just about preventing maternal deaths and reducing harm — it’s about creating a ripple effect of positive change. Healthier women mean stronger families, more resilient communities, and thriving economies. The economic case is clear cut. Research, including data from the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that every dollar invested in maternal and child health can generate a return of $7 in economic benefits, driven by reduced healthcare costs, increased productivity and healthier future generations. Clearly, the case for investing in maternal health is not just a moral imperative—it’s an economic necessity.  Read my full blog post to learn more about how maternal health serves as a cornerstone for building thriving societies and driving economic growth. I also explore where we should focus our investments, including empowering the current generation of midwives with the skills, support, and knowledge needed to provide high-quality care, prevent harm, and save lives in childbirth.  🔗 https://lnkd.in/dASMej6j  #IWD2025 #MaternalHealth #InvestInWomen  Maternity Foundation  

We are proud to welcome Charlotte Damgaard, Chair of Damgaard Company, as our new Global Maternity Partner.  Through this partnership, we are strengthening our commitment to ensuring safer births in low-resource settings by expanding access to lifesaving care for mothers and newborns worldwide. Global Maternity Partners are a small group of high-profile philanthropic investors which also include GRIEG FOUNDATION and Frececo.     With the support of these partners, Maternity Foundation will be able to expand its reach and make a significant impact over the coming years, benefiting not only mothers and babies but entire communities and societies, since saving women from dying in childbirth translates into billions of dollars in terms of welfare gains.    Read the press release 👉 https://lnkd.in/diH3FgmY