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Life saving newborn care
Delivered at scale

Closing the gap between evidence-based care and the most vulnerable newborns
4 newborns die every minute. Many can be saved both affordably and sustainably
Low Birth Weight (LBW)
60-80% of these deaths are in underweight babies (less than 2.5kg), most of whom are premature.
Geographic Inequality
96% of LBW births are in developing countries. Half of global neonatal deaths are in Africa.
Care Gap
Incubator care is no longer recommended for these newborns and is more expensive than the alternative.
We help health systems deliver life saving care to these newborns
First Embrace is a charity working with health systems to provide immediate Kangaroo Mother Care where it is most needed.
We close gaps to make Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) the actual standard of care vulnerable newborns receive.
40%
Mortality Reduction
50%
Morbidity Reduction
Proven by a landmark meta-analysis of 21 peer-reviewed randomised control trials comparing KMC to incubator care, in developing countries.
Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) combines immediate and prolonged skin-to-skin contact between caregiver and newborn, with exclusive breast milk feeding support and training on signs a baby is unwell. This directly targets the two leading causes of neonatal death among premature and underweight newborns. It requires no specialised equipment and all family members can take part.

KMC has been recommended by the WHO as the standard of care for all LBW newborns since 2023 yet uptake remains lowest where it is most needed. Lack of routine KMC indicators mean the number is hard to know, but proxy indicators suggest only around 10% of babies in Nigeria, where we work, are receiving any KMC.

KMC is one of the most rigorously proven interventions in global health and has been assessed by GiveWell to be comparably cost-effective to its best interventions.
Mothers act as their baby's incubator, providing warmth and regulation of their baby's heart and breathing.

Support to exclusively breastfeed then allows babies to not only survive but thrive.
Consistently Effective
32-37%
Mortality reduction replicated across 4 systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Locally Proven
25%
Mortality reduction across Nigeria and 4 other countries (WHO iKMC RCT,2021)
Partner with us for our pilot
We are piloting our intervention model in hospitals in Kano State, Nigeria from late February. We invite collaboration from organisations and individuals interested in supporting evidence based progress for newborn survival, at scale.
Whether you are a hospital committed to improving neonatal mortality or a government partner looking to build capacity to scale KMC, First Embrace offers a pathway to measurable, sustainable change.

We are keen to speak to donors who can support second stage funding. Please email info@firstembrace.org.uk
Hospitals
Join our program. Receive equipment, training and technical support to improve KMC care. We make it easy to improve your neonatal outcomes.
Implementation Partners
We are keen to speak to partners who can implement our program in new areas.
Government
Work with us to access to technical support and operational infrastructure to help your region scale effective KMC.
Why Nigeria?
1
Potential for impact
In Nigeria 240,000 babies die every year in the neonatal period, the second-highest in the world. Few hospitals offer KMC services and how much of it is effective is unclear. The gap between supply and demand is vast.
2
Political Appetite
Nigeria's Every Newborn Action Plan targets KMC coverage for 85% of babies by the end of 2025. We will work with the government to accelerate progress towards this goal.
3
Tractability
We leverage the expertise of existing Ambitious Impact charities in Nigeria to rapidly develop stakeholder relationships and save as many babies as possible.
Over time we want to save as many babies as possible who need KMC, wherever they are.
Pilot Projections
500
Newborns Reached
Vulnerable newborn receiving WHO standard Kangaroo Care
78
Lives Saved
Estimated from reported effect sizes and observed baseline mortality at first hospital
$2,548
Cost Per Life Saved
Potentially comparable to the most effective global health charities
Our model will deliver cost-effective impact and generate missing data to drive government adoption and scale.
Resources
First Embrace will make our evidence, and results freely accessible. We believe rigorous data and open sharing accelerate collective progress towards minimising preventable newborn deaths.
Stay Informed (available from Q2 2026)
Receive quarterly updates on our pilot results, new research findings, and opportunities for collaboration. Join a community of evidence-driven changemakers working to ensure every newborn receives the care they deserve.
Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (available from Q3 2026)
Monitoring and evaluation methodology, data collection tools, and analysis protocols
Cost Effectiveness Analysis (available from Q3 2026)
Detailed breakdown of programme costs, mortality reduction estimates, and comparative analyses.
Live Impact Dashboards (available from Q3 2026)
Babies reached and babies saved
2025. First Embrace is a fiscally sponsored project of Anti Entropy (EIN: 88-0967420), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. First Embrace is a Charity Entrepreneurship (Ambitious Impact) incubated charity.