BABIES BORN INTO CRISIS: The most dangerous place to take a first breath this winter
Can you imagine a child being born without safety, medicine or care?
Sara* was born in the middle of a war. Her mother, Asma*, fled violence while heavily pregnant and reached a Save the Children mobile health unit in Sudan. Sara became the first baby safely delivered there. With skilled midwives and urgent supplies, she took her first breath in safety — against all odds.
"The day she was born, I feared I would lose her. Without this clinic, I had nowhere to go," says Asma.
But for millions of other babies born in conflict zones, refugee camps, or disaster-hit communities, there is no guarantee of survival. Every year, 900,000 babies die during labour. That’s one baby every 36 seconds.
This season of giving, please help mothers give birth safely. Your gift can save a life today.
YOUR $35 monthly GIFT COULD equip a midwife with three delivery kits to help mothers give birth safely.
The majority of newborn and maternal deaths are preventable. But unless we can reach more mothers with lifesaving care, countless babies will not survive their first days of life.
This winter, give the gift of hope. Donate now, and you’ll help us reach mothers and newborns with lifesaving support in the most dangerous places to be born.
Together, we can help mothers and babies in the world’s toughest places.
Every day, 6,000 newborn babies die — the majority from preventable causes
In 2025, babies are being born into some of the hardest conditions in living memory. Wars have torn families apart. Climate disasters have destroyed entire communities. Hunger and disease are stealing childhoods.
Yet even in the chaos of war, disaster and hunger, life finds a way. Babies have been born in tents, on the move, or in overcrowded, under-equipped hospitals. Mothers have given birth without electricity, clean water or medicine.
The numbers are staggering:
2.4 million newborns die each year, most from preventable causes like premature birth, infection, or complications during labour.
Every 36 seconds, a baby is stillborn.
Every 2 minutes, a woman dies from complications in pregnancy or childbirth.
In places like Sudan, 30% of women give birth without skilled assistance, and maternal mortality is among the highest in the world.
In Somalia, only 32% of births are attended by skilled health personnel, one of the lowest rates globally.
Babies in Gaza are dying after almost 2 years of war obliterated the healthcare system and housing.
The maternal mortality rate in Yemen is the highest in the Middle East with 1 woman dying every two hours from childbirth or pregnancy related causes.
These deaths are avoidable. With skilled midwives, clean water, safe places to give birth, and urgent medicine, babies and mothers can survive.
Donate now and help deliver hope to babies born into war, hunger and disaster.
Mussab Hassona / Save the Children
Why Your Support Is Critical for Safe Births in Crisis Zones
Save the Children is delivering urgent care to mothers and babies around the world. Our maternity units and mobile clinics are saving lives every day:
In Rwanda, we’re using drones to deliver medicine and blood directly to a health centre at Mahama camp. This has been a game changer, reducing infant and mother mortality as well as post-partum complications.
In Colombia, our maternity facility is helping Venezuelan refugees give birth safely.
In Kenya, we worked closely with the Ministry of Health to establish Kangaroo Mother Care — involving skin-to-skin contact between the baby and mother — as standard practice in the care of pre-term and low birth weight babies.
In Bangladesh, our Save the Children maternity boat travels to pregnant women in water-surrounded communities in Bangladesh who are unable to travel. Known as ‘Mamotar Tori’, or ‘The Boat of Affection’, it brings midwives and medical supplies to the remote villages.
In Ethiopia, where 14% of babies are born with low birth weight, we are trialling a new solution to help families and health workers identify low birth weight and premature newborns using simple body measurements like foot length.
With your support, we could keep more health services running and ensure mothers and babies in crisis can access the emergency healthcare they need to survive. Please donate today.
