One Heart Worldwide

One Heart Worldwide works to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for mothers and their newborns in underserved areas of rural Nepal. It engages with local government authorities and communities to upgrade birthing centres, equip them properly, train staff and community workers, and establish effective health facility management. Once the system is fully functional in a district, One Heart gradually tapers out its assistance, leaving local government in charge while monitoring the results to sustain quality over the long term. Since 2010, One Heart’s programmes have helped over 1 million expectant mothers and 845,000 newborns to access quality maternal and neonatal healthcare.

oneheartworldwide.org | Partner since 2023

Challenge

Nepal has halved the incidence of maternal mortality over the past two decades. Despite this progress, approximately 800 expectant mothers still die every year. In remote areas, persistent shortages of trained midwives and inadequate infrastructure result in unsafe deliveries.

Response

One Heart Worldwide’s “Network of Safety” model ensures that pregnant women and babies in rural Nepal receive quality maternal and newborn care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. The organisation works hand in hand with local government authorities and communities to identify the needs and challenges in every district. Together, they develop a plan to co-invest in and renovate birthing centres, equip them properly, train staff and community workers, and reach out to pregnant women and families to increase the likelihood of their seeking prenatal care and delivering their babies safely in a facility. With sustainability a core priority, One Heart invests over a period of six years to get a district’s maternal and newborn health system fully functional and locally owned.