A study published last month in the Lancet sheds new light on how community-led maternal and newborn care in Sierra Leone has saved lives by bringing care closer to women.
In a country with a historically high maternal mortality rate – 40% of which is adolescents (10-19 year olds) – the 2YoungLives trial has made a marked impact through implementing trusted, locally embedded health workers that support families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period.
The study, led by Cristina Fernandez Turienzo and colleagues at the Lancet in partnership with grass-roots organisation Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, was based on understandings of the importance of community engagement and strong social relations, along with the social, economic and health empowerment of girls.
Supporting pregnant adolescents from pregnancy up to a year after birth, 2YoungLives was implemented in both urban and rural communities in Sierra Leone. It reduced maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, demonstrating the power of community-led care in improving maternal outcomes within one of the world’s most under-resourced regions.
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