The Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health would like all low-birth weight (LBW) newborns weighing under 2 kg in Ethiopia to receive Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) as part of the care for LBW babies. KMC includes prolonged skin-to-skin contact between a caregiver and newborn, early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding, early discharge from the hospital, and follow-up at home. KMC reduces mortality and morbidity such as infections, hypothermia, and hypoglycemia among LBW newborns. Currently, only a small proportion of LBW babies in Ethiopia receive KMC.
The objective of this project is to design and identify the most promising delivery model through formative research and implement the model that will result in high coverage (80%) of quality KMC for the target population.
The KMC Implementation Research for Accelerating Scale-up in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, is led by the Harvard School of Public Health and AAU. JSI is assisting on the project by overseeing staff and study administration; conducting quality assurance in the data collected; helping field test, finalize, and program study tools; and supporting study implementation.
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