Transforming Newborn Care
The Urgent Need
Ethiopia has achieved considerable progress in reducing maternal and child mortality. In spite of that, neonatal mortality has remained alarmingly high with 27 deaths per 1,000 live births. In particular, over half of under-five deaths occur within the first month of life, with approximately 40% of those occurring within the first 24 hours of birth.
Contributing causes of deaths
Preventable and Treatable Conditions
Over 80 percent of newborn deaths are due to conditions that are preventable or treatable to include labor and delivery complications, prematurity, and neonatal infections.
Systemic Gaps
Inconsistent quality of care, shortage of trained healthcare workers, scarce essential equipment and supplies, and dearth of advocacy for newborn care.
The sustainability of improved child health in Ethiopia is contingent upon the implementation of urgent and targeted interventions. Aras is committed to act swiftly to address the contributing causes.
Our Response
At Aras Newborn Care, we are committed to addressing the hidden crisis. Every newborn deserves a fighting chance. Far too often many lives are lost due to preventable and treatable causes.
Aras’ response is comprehensive and action-driven. We seek to strengthen the neonatal workforce, equip health facilities with life-saving tools, mobilize resources to close gaps where health systems fall short and extend our reach to support basic lifesaving newborn care at primary health facilities and clinics in the community. We aim to advocate for lasting policy change that ensures newborn care remains a national priority.
By building resilient, locally driven systems, we support the creation of an environment where healthcare providers are empowered, families are supported, and every newborn has the chance not just to survive, but to thrive.
We Included in our name, the amharic word “Aras,” to convery the mother-newborn bond of our logo. Aras will focus on the newborn, a child who is 28 days old or younger, consistent the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics, with special emphasis on preterm babies.
Workforce Development
Aras Newborn Care strengthens neonatal health workforce through training equipping them with critical knowledge, tools, and skills to provide life-saving newborn care. By developing competent and confident professionals, we will ensure that every newborn has the best chance to survive and thrive.
Infrastructure Mobilization
Aras Newborn Care is committed to bring sustainable positive newborn health outcome by securing critical resources and partnerships that strengthen Ethiopian neonatal care system. We will ensure newborn care units are appropriately restructured to deliver optimal context-appropriate services. We will also partner with local and regional organizations to secure low-cost high-impact equipment.
Community Outreach
Aras Newborn Care works diligently to enhance newborn services at primary health facilities in the community through programs that harness virtual technology to deliver essential lifesaving immediate newborn care training, offer case consultations, and establish systematic early risk identification and safe newborn referral systems.
Advocacy
Aras Newborn Care promote policy and public awareness to place newborn survival at the center of Ethiopia's health agenda. With national and regional stakeholder engagement, we will work to influence policies and inspire sustainable action.
