A mother holding her newborn in Kangaroo Care on a ward in Kano

Making lifesaving newborn care universal in Nigeria.

The WHO recommends Kangaroo Care for every vulnerable newborn.

Only 5% receive it in Africa, where over 1 million newborns die every year.

Now

18%

Of vulnerable newborns do not survive in Nigeria.

FE, replicating GiveWell

With Kangaroo Care

33%

Less deaths compared to existing neonatal care.

Cochrane (21 RCTs)

$3,500

Or less, per life saved.

GiveWell

First Embrace works to close that gap.

Starting in Nigeria.Building for scale.

We are refining the model with the government, so it can be delivered throughout the public health system.

See more →

885

Newborns cared for

Since February 2026

96%

Received Kangaroo Care

846 of 885 newborns

Public hospitals

91%

Survived the neonatal period

583 of 644 who have reached the end of the neonatal period

What is Kangaroo Care?

Skin to skin care
Exclusive breastfeeding
Danger‑sign education

How do we close the gap?

GiveWell’s analysis of implementation literature identifies common barriers limiting Kangaroo Care’s reach. Our model addresses each one.To our knowledge we are the only organisation helping the government scale Kangaroo Care in Kano.

A nurse logging a Kangaroo Care session in the monitoring system

Measure

We establish a hospital's baseline mortality, assess what the ward is missing, and agree the partnership.

A nursing team on the Kangaroo Care ward in Kano

Deliver

We shift the ward to WHO‑standard Kangaroo Care, log every session, and iterate on what the data shows.

First Embrace meeting the Kano State Ministry of Health

Embed

We work with government to make this the standard of care the health system delivers.

See more →

A mother on the Kangaroo Care ward in Kano holding her twins skin-to-skin

Around 60% of newborn deaths happen in the first three days of life.

Systematic review of 34 studies.

77% of our newborns stay with us through them.

659 of 852 newborns whose stay has ended reached day 3 or beyond.

Shifting from incubator to Kangaroo Care may cost a health system very little.

Nigerian national policy (2017) aims for 95% of vulnerable newborns to receive Kangaroo Care by 2030.

An incubator

Mains power, servicing by a technician, transport, repairs. It warms one newborn at a time, and it keeps that newborn away from their mother.

Kangaroo Care

A wrap. It needs no power and no equipment, the warmth comes from the mother, and one mother can hold twins or triplets at once.

We think that switch can be made for minimal marginal cost, and the emerging economic evidence supports it.

Built for this challenge. Led by those closest to it.

We unite global clinical experience with local systems expertise.

Professor Zubaida Farouk

Head of Training

Dr Musa Sufi

Government Lead

Dr Wesley Quadros

Co‑founder

Ikra Gulzar

Co‑founder

Meet the team →

Supported by

$120 gives a newborn Kangaroo Care from birth to home.

We estimate our programs can save a newborn life for around $3,000. Donations in particular countries are tax deductible: contact us for information.

A mother carrying her newborn skin-to-skin in a Kangaroo Care wrap

$25: Kangaroo Care for a vulnerable newborn on the day when they are at the greatest risk.
$120: Kangaroo Care from birth to home for one newborn.
$1,000: A whole ward cared for from birth to home.
$3,000: A newborn life saved.

Donate

Donating is as quick as reading this. One‑off or monthly.

Look after a hospital

$60,000 runs a public hospital’s program for a year, reaching up to 1,000 vulnerable newborns.

Contact us at info@firstembrace.org.uk to sponsor a hospital. Sponsors receive regular updates and a detailed annual report.

Five mothers holding their newborns in Kangaroo Care chairs on a ward in Kano