We are thrilled to announce the launch of our monthly newsletter, and we warmly welcome you to our inaugural September issue!
In this issue, we share the following highlights:
Unveiling of our two pilot projects—one in the Pali district and another in the Baran district of Rajasthan.
Exciting news on the hiring front! We're in the final stages of recruiting two Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinators to join our team.
Planning to attend EAGxAustralia or EAG Boston? We'd love to connect with you! Look out for Chetan at EAGxAustralia, where he will be at the organisation fair and community office hours and meet Supriya at EAG Boston.
Your thoughts and feedback are invaluable to us. We're eager to hear your thoughts on our work and this newsletter. Please feel free to reach out—we genuinely appreciate your input.
Warmest Regards
The Power of Kangaroo Care
Kangaroo care is a scientifically proven intervention with the potential to significantly reduce mortality rates among low birth weight infants. Kangaroo Care means early, continuous, and prolonged skin-to-skin contact between caregivers and newborns, exclusive breastfeeding, and continuous newborn monitoring.
Despite the simplicity of these practices, there are barriers to adoption. That’s where we step in, we’re designing our model to address common barriers and then iterating it to address context-specific ones. For more information refer to our program description and theory of change.
Our Model
Pilot Programs
Pilot Program 1: Baran, Rajasthan
Our first pilot program is being launched in Baran, Rajasthan, in collaboration with a trusted national implementation partner.
We are delighted to announce that we have secured written approval from district officials, and are now concluding negotiations concerning the implementation of a fully operational Kangaroo Care wards.
The Baran district hospital has recently constructed a ward, but it remained unassigned due to a shortage of allocated operational funds. The hospital's administration is enthusiastic about launching the Kangaroo Care program within this specific ward.
Pilot Program 2: Pali, Rajasthan
In Pali district, Rajasthan, our second pilot program is being launched, thanks to our partnership with a grassroots organisation.
This pilot is strategically scheduled to follow our first project in Baran by a few weeks. This approach allows us to replicate the model from our experienced partner in Baran and experiment with some components in the second pilot.
We have secured written permissions from district officials and are currently engaged in discussions about the program design with facility administrators at the Pali District Hospital.
Learning, Failures and Realisations
Hiring a program coordinator vs. hiring an M&E Coordinator: Initially, our plan was to bring on board a program coordinator with both clinical and research expertise to play a dual role in program operation and monitoring. However, we quickly recognised the potential for bias in monitoring due to direct involvement in program activities. Despite the considerable time and effort invested in our initial hiring process, we decided to make substantial revisions to the job description, refocusing the role exclusively on monitoring, quality assurance, and aiding in the refinement of the pilot. Consequently, we relaunched the hiring process with this clarified scope in mind.
Navigating the intricacies of the public health system: Navigating the intricacies of the public health system: While the term "public health system" may convey a sense of seamless organisation, the truth is far more complex. It comprises a multifaceted network of institutions and programs run by different organisations, each with distinct Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), world views, and focus areas. Crafting an effective program demands our ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including but not limited to the medical staff, health administrators for different levels of the public health system, state policymakers and civil service at the district level. Each is driven by their unique objectives, all while steadfastly maintaining our primary commitment to saving neonatal lives at the core of our discussions.
Access to Existing Healthcare Data: We have realised that accessing existing healthcare data is quite challenging and requires extensive cooperation and permissions from various officials and administration staff. Given the sensitivity of child healthcare data, this is understandable; however, in our context, it delays decision-making and requires significant human resources and time commitment.
Government and Non-Profit Engagements
We are actively collaborating with accomplished non-profit organisations and senior government officials to foster knowledge sharing, establish valuable connections, seek strategic guidance, and gain essential on-ground support. Stay tuned for further details, which will be featured in our upcoming October newsletter and website. If you are an organisation interested in our work or see opportunities to collaborate, please reach out.
We are incredibly excited about the potential of our pilots to save lives and the learning curve ahead of us, and we look forward to sharing updates and stories of progress in the months to come. Thank you for supporting us on this journey to save newborn lives.