Choosing Optimism, Making Progress
"Our collective efforts are showing progress and we have reason to be optimistic about the future."
We are already several weeks into 2025, but today I'm pausing to reflect on some of our milestones and achievements from 2024.
Our partnerships have driven impactful programs that are truly saving lives and empowering healthcare workers to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths. In the video below is a 3 year old girl called Alia. Alia is one of the millions of babies who were not breathing when born. Alia’s midwife had been trained in the Helping Mothers and Babies Survive programs and she knew how to save Alia’s life.
When we hear these stories, it makes us even more committed to supporting our partner-led initiatives with the simulation-based tools and training they need to save lives. Our collaborations with partners have led to evidence-based, data-driven solutions that foster a culture of change and strengthen health systems.
Our collective efforts are showing progress and we have reason to be optimistic about the future. Together, we’re making a difference. Wondering how? We invite you have a look at some highlights from the past year…
Warmly,
Karoline Linde Myklebust, CEO
Scaling the success of the Safer Births Bundle of Care
The Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) program trains and equips healthcare personnel with the skills and confidence to manage the leading causes of maternal and newborn mortality.
As reported by the Safer Births' partners, goals of reducing newborn mortality by 50% and reducing maternal mortality by 10% are well within reach. This year, in Tanzania, SBBC was successfully scaled up from 30 facilities to 152 facilities in five regions, and the Tanzanian government has secured additional funding to bring SBBC to new regions in 2025.
As research evidence from SBBC in Tanzania builds, additional countries are beginning to introduce SBBC into their newborn and maternal healthcare programs.
Strengthening Acute Care Systems in Low-Resource Settings
At Laerdal Global Health, our focus remains helping save lives of mothers and babies at birth, but we’re also committed to reducing preventable deaths from other time-critical emergencies in low-resource countries. Improved access to emergency care could prevent half of deaths and a third of disabilities in these places.
Globally, every second death results from a time-critical emergency, amounting to around 30 million deaths, every year. The WHO's Basic Emergency Course (BEC) has been shown to reduce hospital mortality from these emergencies by up to 50%. So far, BEC has been used to train over 50,000 healthcare workers in 60 countries, and the program is planned to scale up in 25 low- and middle-income countries by 2025.
To support this effort, Laerdal collaborated with the WHO Academy and the Acute Care Action Network to address the three key challenges in scaling the traditional course. First, we created a hybrid learning model that reduces in-person training from five days to three, cutting the time participants are away from clinical practice by over 50%. Second, we developed affordable, ultra-portable simulation-based training tools, available on a not-for-profit basis, reducing costs by 80-90%. This allows for the deployment of training tools in all healthcare institutions, enabling regular refresher training and supporting lifelong learning.
In 2024, the Emergency Care Learning Lab was field-tested in over 15 countries with positive feedback. The program and learning lab is now available, and we look forward to collaborating with BEC partners and regional emergency care associations, to further scale up the program in the coming year.
1500 simulators donated: Amplifying the impact of the Buy-One-Gift-One program
To amplify the impact of our Buy-One-Gift-One program, this year we invited some of our partners to participate in campaigns to help us find high-impact homes for our simulators and educational materials.
Through our partnership with the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists, MamaBirthie CS simulators are being distributed to support healthcare personnel to manage normal births, obstetric emergencies and necessary c-sections. More than 350 simulators have been allocated to 27 projects across 15 countries.
Recipients from the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and Clinton Health Access Initiative will receive up to 750 MamaNatalie simulators and PPH training resources including Jhpiego's Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding after Birth educational materials.
As part of the campaign with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), 14 ICM Midwives' Associations were selected to receive 324 MamaNatalie simulators with Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding After Birth (HMS BABC) learning materials. Winners were selected based on project proposals outlining how they would use the simulators to grow, strengthen, and promote midwifery care in their communities.
Developing digital tools to enhance training
We recently launched LIFT Assessments, a digital tool that provides real-time insights into training data, helping facilitators evaluate performance, reduce knowledge gaps, and improve outcomes. Designed for areas with limited bandwidth or internet access, LIFT Assessments enables implementors to gain an overview and provide reporting across multiple sites.
The digital tool replaces time-consuming paper assessments and can be customized for training courses like the Helping Mothers and Babies Survive (HMBS) programs. These programs are already benefiting sites in Tanzania as part of the Safer Births Bundle of Care. Learn more about the updated HMBS training materials at hmbs.org developed with Jhpiego, the WHO, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Strengthening midwifery programs through simulation-based education
We’re working with partners around the world to strengthen healthcare education.
In Nepal, we supported the expansion of simulation-based education to several additional institutions for not only midwives, but other healthcare providers including doctors. We collaborated with the MoH of Nepal, UN organizations, and professional societies to facilitate a scale up that is sustainable over time. Similar initiatives have been underway with UNFPA Rwanda for a national scale up of implementation of simulation-based midwifery education programs.
Global Standards for Midwifery Faculty Development
In the summer of 2024, a group of experts from around the world convened at an Utstein meeting in Stavanger, Norway hosted by the International Confederation of Midwives where, for the first time, steps were taken towards the development of global standards for faculty development. We were pleased to participate in these important discussions and look forward to continued collaboration.
A blended learning approach to training in humanitarian settings
In fragile settings, access to a skilled birth attendant is a challenge. In South Sudan, less than half of births are attended by a skilled birth attendant. We supported USAID MOMENTUM to improve access to training using a blended (remote and in-person) learning approach for delivery of the Essential Newborn Care (ENC) course.
MOMENTUM’s recently published technical brief summarizes the results of the project, emphasizing the potential of a blended learning approach. Feedback from both facilitators and trainees was positive, advocating for the expansion of the program. The use of digital and online facilitation was deemed an effective training methodology. Results suggest improved knowledge and skills in providing ENC services, as demonstrated by the post-training performance, particularly in high-volume health facilities. LIFT Assessments was used to facilitate targeted training.
One life at a time
The most rewarding part of our work is when we get to hear stories of the true impact of our work together with partners, the lives that are saved.
Mother Riziki
Riziki delivered twins at Katoro Health Center in Tanzania. After the delivery of the first baby, Riziki began to bleed heavily. Thankfully for Riziki and her newborn babies, her midwife had been trained as part of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program and knew how to identify and manage postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death.
Riziki survived.
Neema's Baby
After a long labor, Neema’s daughter was born but there were complications. The baby wasn’t breathing. Thanks to the frequent, hands-on scenario-based training received as part of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program, her midwife team knew what to do. They quickly began resuscitation.
Neema’s baby survived.
Baby Dweej
Laerdal Global Health’s own Dr. Rashmi Aradhya responded to a desperate call when her neighbor's 18-month-old son was found lifeless. Baby Dweej experienced a common time-critical emergency, choking. Despite being out of clinical practice for the past years, Dr. Rashmi acted quickly and competently. She attributes her ability to respond to her frequent simulation-based training.
Dweej survived.
Baby Gauransh
Baby Gauransh weighed only 900 grams when he was born. Thanks so well-trained healthcare personnel who understood the power of immediate skin-to-skin care, known as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), Gauransh began to breastfeed, to gain weight, and to thrive.
Gauransh survived.