FIGO Saving Mothers and Newborns Initiative

Duration: 2006–2011  

Donor: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) 

Background 

FIGO supported ten member societies to conduct projects in their countries designed to increase accessibility to health care services and improve maternal and newborn health. This was also an opportunity for these societies to strengthen their organisational capacity and lead in the promotion of safe motherhood and newborn health.

Project Aims  

The key goal of the FIGO Saving Mothers and Newborns Initiative was to contribute to the reduction in maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality and to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in a series of low-income countries.

Secondary objectives of the project included:

• Strengthening the capacity of national member societies to engage in maternal and newborn health through the design and implementation of projects in the field
• Strengthening cooperation between FIGO and member societies and between societies in the same regions or with differing levels of income  
• Strengthening cooperation between member societies and national stakeholders involved in safe motherhood and newborn health
• Increasing the credibility of member societies locally to provide technical support to ministries of health and national professional councils.