We love babies. We’re thankful for the impact the Newborn Resuscitation Train-the-Trainer Program is having on saving lives in Perú.

It was November 2019 when Lic. Catherine Tejada Aguirre was in the high mountain city of Pasco in the Peruvian Andes, holding a newborn in her arms. The baby was in a poor state, with an Apgar score of only 4 out of 10. Baby Luz (not the childs real name)  had a limp body with a bluish appearance, a low pulse rate, and barely any response to simulation. Her situation is similar to 10% of babies born in homes and health centers across the country.

While progress has been made and neonatal mortality rate in Perú has fallen from 16 deaths per 1,000 live births (2000) to only 6 (2019), the rate in rural and underserved regions still lag behind. In these areas — home to almost half the country’s entire population — around 75% of women give birth at home alone or in small clinics with only a single healthcare professional because they do not have the same access to health services as those in urban areas.

Working with local organizations, communities, and government units since 2014, we at Health Bridges International have learned that the country’s healthcare system has yet to standardize training for medical professionals in neonatal resuscitation. Healthcare professionals in Perú need support to consistently develop crucial skills in neonatal care.

The three other medical professionals in the room attempted resuscitation efforts for Baby Luz. They went through several attempts but Baby Luz showed no signs of improvement. ​The services of a certified neonatal resuscitation specialist was needed.

Without hesitation, Lic. Catherine, a neonatal resuscitation trainer, stepped up to help resuscitate Baby Luz. She led her colleagues through the steps in providing warmth, clearing the airway, drying, and stimulating Baby Luz. With her assistance, Baby Luz’s condition improved. They applied positive pressure ventilation and Baby Luz spontaneously started to breathe. Within an hour, Baby Luz was well and breastfeeding. “What I learned in this [NRTP] course gave me a solid understanding to perform resuscitation and to be able to save lives,” says Lic. Catherine.

To provide medical and health professionals critical support, we sought to create and replicate a newborn resuscitation training and teaching model. Under the direction of HBI’s Medical Director, Dr. Bob Gehringer, and co-developed with the Perúvian College of Midwives, the HBI Neonatal Resuscitation Train-the-Trainer Program (HBI NRTP) is an official certification program that trains midwives to provide contextualized training to colleagues in their own communities. The program creates a powerful multiplier effect: since 2014 with over 130 trainers trained in 246 regions, more than 20,600 participants have received neonatal resuscitation training and an estimated 5,200 babies per year have been saved. We support our partner’s leadership in ensuring that this certification becomes part of future licensure requirements for all midwives in Perú.

I love the Holiday Season.

From Thanksgiving through the New Year, I get giddy with excitement. Part of my joy is in slowing the pace of life. The busyness of life gives way to a bit more time for reflection and patience. Things seem to take on a different focus over the Holiday Season.

The work of HBI is about a community – a group of passionate change-makers. We are blessed to have a fantastic team of dedicated staff and a community of generous supporters. That is why we are planning to start this Holiday Season with a series of blog posts around the thankfulness we feel at HBI.

From our work in the Casa Girasoles program to help formerly abandoned boys find the pathway to the lives they deserve – to our newborn resuscitation training program – we are making a difference. Much of this difference is because of the trust and generosity we receive from hundreds of donors and supporters. Thank you.

To start our Month of Thankfulness, I want to tell you a brief story of appreciation: Juan* (6), David (4), and Carlos (7) lived with their 12-year-old sister. She was the only mother they had ever known. One day their older sister went to the local police station to ask for help. She couldn’t continue raising the three brothers on her own.

A case was opened with child protective services for the four siblings. To support their transition to safety, the children were brought to the Casa Girasoles. With HBI’s connections – a loving, supportive home was identified for the 12-year-old, as the Casa Girasoles Program only accommodates boys. Thanks to the tireless efforts of HBI’s Social Worker, the team established a plan to support the reunification of the children as quickly as possible.

The three brothers quickly settled into their new home at the Casa Girasoles. The goal is to reunite the siblings with a family member who can take all four and keep them together. However, for now – we are thankful that through the generosity of donors and supporters, we have the staffing, financial resources, and connections to help these precious young boys and beautiful young woman begin to rebuild their lives.

Thank you for helping HBI create safe, loving environments to rebuild the lives of traumatized, neglected and marginalized children. Together we are changing lives.

*Names have been changed