This success story was published originally by USAID here.
Prematurity is one of the leading causes of newborn deaths. In Mali, 29% of neonatal deaths are due to babies born before 37 weeks of gestation (CHERG 2010). Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an intervention where the mother carries her baby skin-to-skin at the chest, with breastfeeding support and close monitoring by a health provider. KMC gives a chance to premature babies or those born low birth weight to survive and thrive, especially in countries where access to specialized neonatal care services are still lacking.
Read this success story about the USAID-funded Services de Santé à Grand Impact (SSGI), which supports the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of maternal and newborn health services in Mali through training, supervision and coaching on obstetric and neonatal care, including KMC.