All newborn babies need help regulating their body and skin temperatures in the first hours and days after birth. Abnormally low body heat, also known as hypothermia, is a worldwide problem across all climates. Body heat that dips too low will lead to long term health problems, illness, and newborn death, In places like Africa, a simple, little hat is critical to helping a newborn survive her fir
st 24-48 hours. The risk of hypothermia in newborns is even higher in low-birth weight and premature babies, often the result of poor nutrition and lack of prenatal care. 100,000 newborns die in Ethiopia every year, with 90% of them born at home. A hat won't stop all the risks these newborns face,in the first hours and days, but will increase their chances. With your donations and a network of nurse/midwives, health care workers and volunteers in the field, we are able to provide hats to villages, midwives, and hospitals. We either ship them direct or a nurse/midwife who is traveling there will take them in their checked bag. We collect hats, duffle bags to ship/carry the hats, and financial donations for checked luggage or shipping costs. "The hats are life savers, particularly C-section delivered babies." - Staff at Kibondo Hospital in Tanzania. Message us if you'd like to donate hats or funds. Most hats are handmade, but store bought is always welcome. Please see the Notes section for more information about the size and type of hat that works best for these babies. Thank you.
-Robyn Pomonis
Coordinator, Project 24 Baby Hats
Working in partnership with representatives from organizations like Emory University's Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership. MaNHEP was launched in 2009 with an $8.1-million, two-and-a-half year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.The award is one of the largest grants ever received by the Emory University School of Nursing. Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, the Foundation focuses on improving health and providing opportunities to people to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In 2010, it announced a new $1.5-billion commitment over the next five years for family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition in developing countries.
