Giving Every Newborn a Chance to Breathe, Survive, and Thrive

Tanzania has achieved notable improvements in child survival over recent years; however, newborn mortality continues to be a major public health challenge. About 24 infants die per 1,000 live births, and a large share of neonatal deaths occur within the first hour of life. Many of these deaths are linked to birth asphyxia, highlighting the critical importance of timely and effective newborn resuscitation and quality maternal and newborn care services.

At Pamoja Health for Better Children (PHBC), we are committed to ensuring that every newborn has the best possible start in life. Through our Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program, we strengthen the skills of healthcare providers, improve access to lifesaving newborn resuscitation equipment, and support health facilities to provide high-quality care during the most critical moments after birth.

Every year, thousands of newborns in Tanzania face breathing difficulties immediately after birth. Timely intervention by a skilled healthcare provider can mean the difference between life and death. Through Helping Babies Breathe, PHBC is helping health workers save lives one breath at a time.

The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program strengthens the capacity of healthcare providers to deliver timely newborn resuscitation during the critical first minute of life. Through hands-on simulation training using the Neo-Natalie newborn simulator and affordable resuscitation
equipment, providers gain practical skills to save newborn lives and improve neonatal outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Despite significant progress in newborn survival, there is an ongoing need to expand access to Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) training kits and newborn resuscitation equipment across Tanzania. PHBC is collaborating with government and health sector partners to strengthen healthcare worker capacity, promote continuous skills practice, and support the sustainable scale-up of quality newborn resuscitation services nationwide.

Why Helping Babies Breathe Matters

Breathing difficulties at birth (birth asphyxia) remain one of the leading causes of newborn deaths in Tanzania. Studies estimate that birth asphyxia contributes to approximately 27–31% of neonatal deaths in the country. Around 60–70% of neonatal deaths occur within the first 24 hours after birth, making immediate newborn care essential.

Research conducted in Tanzania demonstrated that implementation of Helping Babies Breathe training was associated with a 47% reduction in early neonatal deaths within 24 hours of birth and a 24% reduction in fresh stillbirths, highlighting the lifesaving impact of skilled newborn resuscitation.

Where We Work

Pamoja Health for Better Children (PHBC) is committed to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes across Tanzania through evidence-based interventions, healthcare-worker capacity building, and health-system strengthening.

To date, PHBC has supported the implementation of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) and other newborn-care interventions in more than 150 health facilities, and has trained around 200 nurses, midwives and frontline health workers in newborn resuscitation and essential newborn care. HBB has been delivered in Lindi, Kibaha (Pwani) and Mtwara, as part of PHBCs wider presence across five regions of Tanzania (Pwani, Lindi, Mtwara, Kigoma and Mwanza).

Through these partnerships, PHBC works closely with healthcare providers, district health management teams, and facility leadership to enhance the quality of maternal and newborn care services. Our interventions include clinical training, mentorship, supportive supervision, simulation-based learning, and the provision of essential newborn care resources.

By strengthening the capacity of health facilities and frontline healthcare workers, PHBC contributes to improved newborn survival and supports thousands of mothers and newborns who access care in these facilities every year. Our continued efforts aim to expand access to quality newborn care so that every child has the opportunity to survive and thrive from the very beginning of life.

Our Innovative Approach

At Pamoja Health for Better Children (PHBC), we believe that sustainable improvements in newborn survival are achieved through practical, hands-on learning and continuous
mentorship. Our innovative approach combines facility based coaching, one-on-one mentorship, and small group simulation training to strengthen the skills and confidence of midwives, nurses, and other healthcare providers delivering maternal and newborn care.

Unlike traditional workshop-based training, PHBC brings learning directly into healthcare facilities, allowing providers to practice life-saving skills within their actual working
environments. This personalized approach enables trainers to address individual learning needs, strengthen clinical decision making, and support healthcare workers in overcoming real world challenges encountered during childbirth and newborn resuscitation.

What We Do

At Pamoja Health for Better Children (PHBC), we go beyond newborn resuscitation to ensure that every baby not only survives birth but also has the opportunity to thrive. While Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) equips healthcare providers with the skills to save newborns during the critical first minutes of life, our work extends across the continuum of newborn care to improve long-term health outcomes.

PHBC strengthens the capacity of nurses, midwives, clinicians, medical attendants, and health facility mentors through practical, simulation-based training and ongoing mentorship. We support health facilities to establish quality newborn care services by promoting the availability of essential equipment, functional newborn care corners, clinical mentorship, continuous professional development, and quality improvement initiatives.

To further improve newborn survival and well-being, PHBC integrates Helping Babies Breathe with comprehensive newborn care interventions, including Essential Newborn Care, Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), Infection Prevention and Control, Early Initiation of Breastfeeding, and Care for Small and Sick Newborns . Through this holistic approach, we help health facilities provide high-quality care that protects newborns from birth through the critical early days and weeks of life.

Success Story

Juma Story: A Second Chance at Life
Juma entered the world far too early, weighing only a fraction of what a healthy newborn should. His future was uncertain, and every moment mattered. Thanks to healthcare workers trained in newborn care and equipped with essential skills and tools, Juma received the lifesaving support he needed during his first days of life.
His mother embraced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), providing continuous skin-to-skin contact that helped regulate his body temperature, strengthen his immunity, and support healthy growth. Today, Juma is thriving. His journey is a powerful reminder that when healthcare workers are equipped with the right skills and mothers receive the support they need, even the most vulnerable newborns can survive and flourish.