Kakuma Refugee Camp Maternal and Neonatal Health
Following 12 years of work in Tanzania, and after transferring the Training Clinic to the Ministry of Health and Midwives at Amana Regional Referral Hospital, we began to identify other areas in need of assistance with Neonatal Resuscitation training and Maternal Obstetric Emergencies Training.
Chase and I will be travelling to Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in the Northwest of Kenya (with Refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and the Central African Republic) in October/November to assist in providing care for pregnant and labouring women.
Along the way, we will be teaching obstetric emergencies and neonatal resuscitation using the Champion Air Resuscitation Program, which we developed together. With over 12 years of experience working in a busy labor ward in Tanzania, where we handled 50-100 births per day, we have gained valuable insights into managing high-volume obstetric care in low-resource settings.
Our focus will be on neonatal resuscitation, an essential area for improving survival rates of newborns, especially in cases where respiratory issues or distress arise. The Champion Air Resuscitation Program is designed to be simple, effective, and adaptable to settings with limited resources, which is ideal for Kakuma. By training local healthcare providers, midwives, and community health workers in neonatal resuscitation techniques, we aim to improve the care of newborns in the camp.
Additionally, we will provide training in obstetric emergencies—covering critical situations such as postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia, and obstructed labour These are areas where there are significant capacity gaps in the camp, and strengthening the skills of health workers in managing these emergencies can save lives.
One of our primary goals is knowledge transfer and capacity building. We don’t just want to provide direct care; we want to empower local healthcare providers with the skills to handle obstetric and neonatal emergencies independently. This kind of sustainable approach is key to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes over the long term.
Our work will have several potential impacts on Kakuma:
- Improved neonatal care by teaching effective resuscitation techniques, which can dramatically reduce neonatal mortality, especially in situations where births take place outside of health facilities.
- Stronger emergency care capabilities by enhancing the skills of healthcare workers to manage critical obstetric emergencies.
- Training community health workers and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) will help bridge the gap between home births and facility-based care. This is essential in a camp where a significant number of women still deliver at home.
- Our background working in Tanzania’s labour wards means we bring a high level of cultural sensitivity
In Summary:
To maximize the impact of our work, we hope to find and empower many midwife and health care workers- by finding Champion leaders –local midwives and health workers actively involved in the training, so they can feel more confident and empowered to implement what they’ve learned and pass on the training to others
Chase and I are excited about this opportunity to share our knowledge and experience and make a positive impact on maternal and neonatal health in Kakuma Refugee Camp.
Warmest Regards
Dr. Jan & Dr. Chase
October 2025
