Tanzania

Fewer newborns and mothers are dying in Tanzania

Deaths among newborns and mothers have been significantly reduced in several areas where the "Safer Births Bundle" programme has been implemented in Tanzania. Now, the success is being replicated in Nigeria.

Text: Åsne Gullikstad. Photo: Nizar Utanga / NCA.

Published 01. Apr 2025 Updated 10. Apr 2025

Kvinne med baby på sykehus — Nurse Editha Girgis-Senior cares for a newborn baby at Haydom Lutheran Hospital.

About 260 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023. Each year, 2.3 million newborns die during their first month of life.

However, in Tanzania, a Norwegian aid and research program has delivered highly promising results:

Maternal deaths have been reduced by 75% in three years.
Newborn deaths have decreased by 40% in the 30 hospitals where the program was introduced.

The so-called Safer Births Bundle of Care programme is led by Haydom Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania, which has received long-term support from Norwegian Church Aid. The hospital is located in Manyara, one of Tanzania's poorest regions.

International Recognition

The Safer Births programme is Haydom Hospital's largest research initiative. It is a collaboration between Haydom, Norwegian researchers, Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation), Laerdal Global Health, and Tanzanian authorities.

The programme's results have attracted international attention and were recently published in one of the world's most prestigious research journals, The New England Journal of Medicine.

The goal of the Safer Births program is to improve the quality of healthcare during the critical moments of childbirth through a variety of initiatives aimed at preventing stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and maternal deaths.

One key component is training healthcare workers through simulation-based learning, along with the provision of essential medical equipment.

Training healthcare professionals through simulation is an important part of the programme that has yielded good results.

"More Than Expected"

"The results we are now seeing with the Safer Births project in Tanzania are more than I ever expected," says Haldis Kårstad, Senior Advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights at Norwegian Church Aid

Norwegian Church Aid has partnered with Haydom Lutheran Hospital since 2003 and, since 2015, has been the grant manager, overseeing financial support for the hospital.

Their support has strengthened Haydom’s hospital board, management, financial and procurement systems, data security, IT implementation, and advocacy efforts.

Being Replicated in Nigeria

Now, in 2025, the success of Safer Births will be replicated outside Tanzania. Norwegian Church Aid is leading the program’s expansion into Nigeria, in collaboration with Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Laerdal Global Health.

The programme will be implemented in Borno State, Nigeria, which has one of the highest maternal and newborn mortality rates in the world.

"I am proud of the staff at Haydom—their dedication and professionalism. I am so happy they are now working with Norwegian Church Aid on this new project in Nigeria," says Haldis Kårstad.

The goal in Nigeria is to reduce maternal deaths by 30%, stillbirths by 20%, and early neonatal deaths (within 24 hours) by 45% in the participating healthcare facilities.

The new programme will build on the experiences of Haydom Hospital, Laerdal Global Health, and Norwegian Church Aid’s previous projects in Tanzania and Nigeria.

"Our partnership is built on a shared vision: to ensure access to high-quality healthcare for all, especially the most vulnerable," says Ulveseter.

"We are committed to expanding what works so that even more women and newborns can survive and thrive," she adds.

A Baby Saved

Text: Nizar Seleman Utanga.

First-time mother Hosiana Simon Israel (30) was on her way to a health center when she felt the first signs of labor—far too early. She was miles away from the nearest clinic when she gave birth to her premature baby. The situation was critical.

When she arrived at Dongobesh Health Center, there wasn’t enough oxygen for her baby. That’s when she heard about Haydom Lutheran Hospital, a facility equipped to care for premature infants.

Mother and baby were rushed there. At Haydom, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to provide the newborn with life-saving oxygen and specialized care.

We meet the new mother at Haydom Hospital. She looks at her baby, full of gratitude.

"My baby got help and is doing well," she says.

“I don’t know where I would have gone if this hospital didn’t exist. I am grateful because both my baby and I are safe now.”