Each year, nearly 2.6 million children die within the first 28 days of life, nearly one third of these deaths occur on the first day of life. An additional 2.6 million babies are stillborn. A further 290,000 women die each year of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. The vast majority of these deaths can be prevented through the delivery of a targeted set of proven interventions. Unfortunately, these lifesaving interventions are not reaching those most in need.

Save the Children's MNRH work aims to increase access to three lifesaving service packages: (a) family planning and reproductive health, (b) antenatal care, and (c) labour, delivery and maternal and newborn care and Postnatal/Postpartum Care  

Family Planning: Save the Children’s family planning and reproductive health work focuses on improving access to quality contraceptive services, the promotion of healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies, and the expansion of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, particularly for underserved populations.

Antenatal Care: Save the Children’s antenatal care work focusses on expanding access to the World Health Organization’s focused antenatal care package, including the delivery of the tetanus toxoid vaccine, iron/folic acid supplementation, the prevention and treatment of malaria during pregnancy, and the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, to ensure positive pregnancy experience for women and their family.

Labour, Delivery and maternal newborn care during postnatal/postpartum: Save the Children labor and delivery work focusses on ensuring skilled care at birth, basic newborn care, management of maternal complications through strengthening Basic Emergency and Newborn Obstetric care, neonatal resuscitation, treatment of severe newborn infections, supportive care for sick and small newborns, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and care to both mother and newborn during the postpartum/postnatal period

The organization works with governments, UN agencies, civil society and communities through a health systems approach to expand access to these services, and to promote the adoption of healthy maternal, reproductive and newborn care practices.

Photo: Colin Crowley/Save the Children