Purpose of the programme

This programme aims to achieve two main objectives, both with the aim of giving more Liberian newborns the opportunity to see their first birthday. Firstly, the programme will work with a local hospital in Liberia to supply nutrients and micronutrients, health information and other childcare essentials to support the growth of newborns to enhance their chances of surviving the first 27 days after being born which are crucial to their development. Secondly, the programme aims to work with another local hospital in Liberia to establish a premature birth unit and support premature birthed babies. 

Background

The objectives of the programme are derived from the lived experiences of the founder of BCI. Dr Fidel Budy has two daughters, one born in Liberia and the other in Wales. His first child, who was born prematurely, survived in part because of the availability of advanced medication equipment at the hospital in Wales where she was born. For his second daughter, whilst she was born in ELWA Hospital in Liberia, she had all the nutrients and micronutrients that she needed to ensure that her body would develop the ability to fight off any potential illness that would normally lead to infant mortality, which in Liberia is 29 out of every 1000 births according to the World Health Organisation. These two girls, when considered in the context of children born in Liberia, were privileged whilst thousands of newborns in Liberia do not have the same chances. This programme seeks to address that disparity for some children through two hospitals in Liberia. Once a year, for a week, the founder will travel to Liberia to distribute live saving nutrients and medication to children born within the week of the birthday of his second daughter. Furthermore, the programme will solicit incubators from hospitals in the UK and transfer them to Liberia to the second hospital for the establishment of a premature birth unit. Funding will be sourced to sustain the unit.

Programme scope

The programme will initially support newborns at the ELWA Hospital once a year. It will also acquire incubators for a premature birth unit at the Robert Moore Memorial Health Centre (RMMHC) and source funding to sustain the unit. The programme will also undertake advocacy for better access to health in Liberia for newborns where necessary and possible. 

Deliverables and milestones

The programme will deliver signed memorandums of understanding with the relevant health centres in Liberia by end of January 2024. In April 2024 the official launch of the programme will take place in Sheffield, UK. Before the launch, a milestone will be signing an agreement with a Liberian shipping company to offer the programme favourable rates for shipping their supplies to Liberia. By the end of April 2024, the programme aims to have raised £500 for the purchase of supplies to send to Liberia. Between April and May 2024, the purchase of supplies, packaging and shipping to Liberia will be completed. By the end of May 2024, the programme aims to have an agreement in place with an airline to sponsor an economy light ticket for the founder to travel to Liberia in August for the first distribution of supplies. Another milestone will be the inaugural distribution of nutrients, micronutrients and medications to newborns in Liberia in August 2024 with items like multi-vitamins and other micronutrients to aid the development of newborns and improve their chances of survival. Another milestone will be to have its first MoU with a UK based hospital for the acquisition of incubators to send to the RMMHC in Liberia. Fundraising from supporters of the programme will continue for as long as possible, but another milestone of the programme will be to secure agreement with at least one major donor to fund the programme within three years of its launch in March 2024. The launch of an inaugural annual black-tie fundraising in late August 2024 specifically for the support of the premature unit at RMMHC will be another milestone in the first year of the launch of the programme. 

Programme approach and methodology

For fundraising for the annual distribution in August in Liberia each year, the directors of BCI will identify potential or previous supporters and write to them, inviting them to support the programme for the year by donating £50 to become a sponsor. Sponsorship will be periodic. The aim is to raise a minimum of £500 a year in donations for supplies for newborns in Liberia. Sponsors will be asked to agree for their donations to be registered for gift aid to increase their donation by 25p on a £1. Between April and May each year, items will be purchased, boxed and shipped to Liberia in time for the August distribution. The directors hope that they will be able to secure support from an airline flying to Liberia with a flight ticket so that one of them can be there to oversee the distribution. However, if this fails, the founder will decide how the cost of travel to Liberia to oversee the distribution of supplies to newborns will be covered. 

As for the premature unit at RMMHC, the methodology is to develop a holistic approach to establishing the unit as well as securing funds to sustain it. The approach taken will involve securing the room at the hospital first. The next step will be securing the number of incubators that can be accommodated in the space. Next, an annual black-tie fundraising dinner will be launch in the UK to raise funds for the shipment of the incubators but also to fund the running of the unit for the first year. With the establishment of the unit and securing of funds for a year’s operation, the directors of BCI will commence engagements with donor organisations in the UK, U.S. and Liberia to secure the long-term operational funding of the unit. 

Monitoring and evaluation

This is a complex part of the programme. This is because whilst it is important to demonstrate to sponsors that their money is being utilised with the highest value for money approach, the anonymity of newborns is also a priority of the programme. As such, the directors of BCI will be responsible for collecting personal information about newborns that benefit from the programme but in their report for sponsors and the general public, the identities of newborns will be anonymised and they will be referred to as statistics. Pictures will not be taken whilst on the wards unless a parent has provided their expressed informed consent that their picture is taken. Even in these cases, care must be taken to protect the identity of infants. In reports provided to sponsors and donors, a note from the head of the hospital as well as anonymised quotes from mothers would be included. The directors of BCI will agree with beneficiaries of the programme that they will be contacted one year after they had benefited from the programme to check on the development of their child. These engagements will be reported to sponsors and donors. The record of personal data of all beneficiaries of the programme will be securely store on a password protected device that only the directors can access. However, for auditing purposes, and where the individuals reviewing the personal data have each signed confidentiality agreements not to disclose the personal data of children who have benefited from the project, they will be allowed to review the data in a secure location but will not be allowed to make copies of their data. 

For the premature unit at RMMHC, the administrator of the hospital will prepare and present to BCI annual statistics of the number of premature births that they have handled in the unit. A protocol for follow-ups will be developed with RMMHC to follow-up on children that benefited from the unit at least one year after their birth. 

Expected outcomes.

This programme is grounded in the notion that it cannot save every child born in Liberia. However, it expects to provide supplies to at least 10 newborns each year to support the country’s fight against infant mortality and give newborns a good chance of seeing their first birthday. For the premature unit, the programme expects to support up to 20 premature births each year. These are rough estimates and dependent on the level of support received from sponsors for both projects of the programme or the need of newborns during the distribution in August each year and at the unit at RMMHC; these figures could rise significantly.