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250,000 newborns in Nigeria won't survive their first month.
We're here to change that.

So no child misses out on a lifesaving
first embrace.
A simple and proven solution could keep many of them alive
At least half of neonatal deaths are in premature or underweight (vulnerable) newborns.

Kangaroo care (KMC) is recommended for all of them (WHO) and the Nigerian government aims for 90% of to receive it. Only 5% do.
We close delivery gaps to save as many newborn lives as possible.
40%
Mortality Reduction
vs incubator care ·
meta-analysis of 21 RCTs ¹
$3,136
to save a newborn life
Year 1 projection¹ ·
Comparable with GiveWell's top charities²
OUR MODEL
We embed KMC in government hospitals
STEP 01
Train and equip
We train and hire nurses while minimally equipping wards with what they need to deliver WHO standard KMC.
STEP 02
Deliver and track
Newborns receive skin to skin care with every session digitally tracked from admission to discharge and follow up for the first month.
STEP 03
Make it permanent
We work with government to translate KMC policy recommendations into local budgets.
OUR IMPACT
What we've achieved so far
Pilot Midline
Kano
since february 2026
We are halfway through our pilot in one of Nigeria's highest burden hospitals for vulnerable newborns. We compare our program results to a baseline at the same hospital where a quarter of eligible newborns died.
214
Newborns cared for
85%
Received KMC
48%
mortality reduction
17
lives saved
counterfactually
Shared with the Kano State Ministry of Health
75% of newborn deaths happen in the first week of life. Our average length of stay is 5 days.
Where others estimate we observe.
SUPPORT

$200 provides a week of evidence based care.
Every $200 funds a vulnerable newborn through their first week of life, from birth to home.
Predictable funding means we can procure equipment in larger quantities reducing unit costs.
All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by local law.
Choose your impact
$40
A day of KMC.
Protects a newborn for the first day of life, when half that will die, do.
$200
A week of KMC.
Protects one newborn through their first week, when 75% of deaths happen.
$1600
A week of KMC for an entire ward.
Including equipment, data collection, and training for all families on the ward.
$3000
A newborn life saved.
This is what it takes to save one newborn who would otherwise die.

WHY US?
Built for this challenge. Led by those close to it.
We unite clinical experience with local system expertise.
Wesley Quadros
Co-founder
Medical doctor with neonatal experience and research to policy exposure in Africa.
Ikra Gulzar
Co-founder
Lead Pharmacist experienced in regional clinical policy approval.
Prof. Zubaida Farouk
Head of Training
Professor of neonatology with experience shaping KC guidelines and teaching them to doctors and nurses.
Dr Musa Sufi
Government Lead
Specialist in government health systems with established relationships across Kano.
ADVISED BY COLLEAGUES FROM
Give a newborn the first embrace they need
We believe in transparent sharing of our work to support collective impact in newborn health.
First Embrace is a Charity Entrepreneurship charity and fiscally sponsored project of Anti Entropy (EIN: 88-0967420), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. 2026.