“When a mother looks at her child for the first time, it is like nothing else exists.” – Sara Ojjeh, Maverick Member

Providing an expectant mother in low-resource settings with a clean delivery kit can increase their chances of survival and decrease maternal deaths. Known locally in Uganda as Maama Kits, each contains basic birthing necessities — including a plastic sheet, gloves, cord clamps, a sterile razor, and visual instructions — to help reduce the risk of infection and other complications during labor and delivery.

To achieve greater health impact, Maverick Collective member Sara Ojjeh and PSI are working with PACE (PSI”s affiliate in Uganda) to include two more “essential life-saving commodities” — misoprostol and chlorhexidine — in the Maama Kits. The antiseptic chlorhexidine, used as a cleansing agent for the newborn baby’s umbilical cord, has been shown to reduce infant deaths by as much as 23% when applied within the first 24 hours of birth. Misoprostol helps the uterus to contract after delivery and prevents excessive bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage, the single biggest direct cause of maternal deaths.

Both products are safe, effective, inexpensive and can be administered with minimal training. In total, 65,500 Maama Kits will be distributed in six pilot districts in Uganda, along with chlorhexidine. The goal is to include misoprostol in 43,000 of the kits. PSI’s advocacy work has led the national government to approve chlorhexidine for inclusion in all Maama Kits. Advocacy for misoprostol continues.

The innovation here is the registration and inclusion of two life-saving medicines for use in the Maama kits – which will benefit countless women and children.