Welcome

NEO FOR NAMIBIA - Helping Babies Survive is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland that focuses on the implementation of simple medical interventions that are known to improve survival rates of newborn infants.

Large gaps in neonatal care 

While high income countries have reached unprecedented levels of care for sick neonates, progress in most low income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, has been slow. In many places, the quality of neonatal care is comparable to the situation of high income countries more than 50 years ago.

Simple interventions work

With the provision of affordable and robust equipment combined with appropriate training of local physicians and nurses, NEO FOR NAMIBIA - Helping Babies Survive has helped to decrease mortality rates of sick newborns by more than 50% in two hospitals in the north of Namibia.

Progress is remarkable and sustainable

This dramatic success was achieved within a short period of time (2-3 years), and the lower mortality rates have been sustained. As a result, more than 100 additional babies survived in 2022 at the governmet hospitals in Rundu and Katima.

Other regions could benefit

The interventions implemented by NEO FOR NAMIBIA - Helping Babies Survive undoubtedly do improve outcomes. In the near future, hospitals in other regions of Namibia (Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Erongo region) could potentially benefit from the experience gained over the last years. 

News from NEO FOR NAMIBIA

Most recent mission

Our second mission in 2022 took us to Swakopmund, Rundu and Katima. For the first time, Prof. Thomas M. Berger was accompanied by Dr. Christoph M. Honegger, an obstetrician and gynecologist. Given that high quality care of neonates starts before birth, his observations will be helpful to tailor future interventions.