Every year 250,000 newborns in Nigeria don't survive their first month.

Many could be saved by a simple solution that few receive.

We ensure no child misses out on a lifesaving first embrace.

The WHO recommends Kangaroo Care (KMC) for all underweight and premature newborns with its highest level of certainty. Only 5% of them receive it.

What is KMC?
Loading...


How does it work?
pilot

Our Pilot

Pilot Kanosince february 2026

We are piloting our model in one of Nigeria's highest burden hospitals for newborns.
We will compare program mortality and morbidity to the baseline at our pilot hospital and regional and national data to evaluate impact.

All of our data is shared with the Kano State Ministry of Health.

75% of newborn deaths are in the first week of life. Most of our newborns stay with us through it.

OUR MODEL

We embed KMC in government hospitals

The Nigerian government is dedicated to 90% of newborns to receiving KMC by 2030.
We are the only NGO implementing KMC for newborns in large hospitals in Kano State.

STEP 01

Train and equip

We train and hire nurses while equipping wards only 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 are followed up for the first month.

STEP 03

Embed

We help government translate KMC policy recommendations into local budgets.

WHY US?

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

We unite global clinical experience with local systems 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 health policy approvals and clinical protocol development.

Prof. Zubaida Farouk

Head of Training

Professor of neonatology and consultant for over 20 years. Experience shaping Nigerian KMC guidelines and training clinicians.

Dr Musa Sufi

Government Lead

Health advocate to regional governments in Kano and Katsina.

ADVISED BY experts FROM
partner

$200 protects a newborn through the most dangerous week of their life, from birth to home.

Predictable funding reduces equipment unit costs by facilitating bulk procurement.
All donations are tax deductible.

Choose your impact

$40

A day of KMC.

Protects a newborn for the first day of life, when half of deaths happen.

$200

A week of KMC.

Protects one newborn through their first week, when 75% of deaths happen.

$1600

A week of KMC for a ward.

Including a trained nurse at the bedside of every newborn who might not survive without them.

$3000

A newborn life saved.

This is what it takes to save one newborn life through our program.

Donating is as quick as reading this.

Loading...

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.