We are partnering with One Heart World-Wide for a second project in Nepal to train and equip female community health volunteers with mobile health (mHealth) technology to provide mothers with life-saving health support. By increasing the presence of skilled birthing attendants at birth and establishing an emergency notification system, we hope to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths.

Why Nepal?

Most maternal and neonatal deaths can be prevented, yet Nepal has high rates of maternal and infant mortality. Many of the health workers critical to mothers’ and babies’ survival are days away from the nearest health facility, separated by massive mountains, rivers and impassable terrain. To make matters worse, the earthquake in 2015 destroyed much of the health care infrastructure in many districts of Nepal. This destruction resulted in an increase in unsafe and unsanitary deliveries due to the lack of access to clinics.

ODW + One Heart World-Wide

With this grant, ODW and One Heart World-Wide will provide 711 female community health volunteers with cell phones that have mHealth tools to communicate with the nearest health facilities about maternal care emergencies. This will benefit 7,000 pregnant women and their newborns in Nepal.