Quality newborn care should not be a privilege – it should be a global standard. Yet in many parts of the world, this is not the reality. Each year, 2.3 million newborns die globally – most in low- and middle-income countries, and most from preventable causes. These are lives that could be saved with access to skilled, quality care.
At Adara, we’re committed to changing this. We work to reduce preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths through initiatives focused on upskilling health workers, equipping facilities and strengthening the health system.
That’s why we’ve launched the AdaraNewborn Training Programme on the Adara Knowledge Centre – our free online platform designed to share learnings and resources globally.
This new training programme is designed to equip healthcare workers in resource-limited settings with the essential skills, tools and knowledge they need to deliver quality care to small and sick newborns. It complements the World Health Organization’s Essential Newborn Care 1 and 2 training, focusing on foundational care, practical bedside skills, and simplified learning to improve outcomes and save lives.
Why this training matters
The need is clear. In low-income settings, half of babies born very premature lose their lives due to a lack of accessible, cost-effective care. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.
In Uganda, where Adara has worked since 1998, the statistics are particularly alarming. Newborn disorders are the leading cause of death, with 45,000 newborn deaths each year. Despite a national commitment to progress, a shortage of sufficiently trained health workers in newborn care remains a major challenge. A staggering 80% of health facilities are ill-equipped to care for newborns.
Accelerating progress for neonatal survival requires strengthening quality of care and ensuring that health workers have the skills and confidence to care for small and sick newborns. The AdaraNewborn Training Programme is designed to help fill these gaps.
“When I first started working in newborn care, I was overwhelmed by how fragile and complex the needs of small and sick babies were. I was lucky to be mentored by experienced neonatal nurses, who taught me the importance of mastering the basics – Keeping babies warm, feeding them well, preventing them from getting infections and watching closely for danger signs. These simple things save lives.”
Hilda Namakula, Newborn Health Manager
Sharing our expertise
At Adara, we believe that sharing knowledge is one of the most powerful ways to scale impact and reach more lives. The AdaraNewborn Training Programme draws on over 27 years of experience in delivering newborn care in low-resource settings. It harnesses the deep expertise of our teams and distills the lessons learnt from our programmes into practical, accessible training.
By sharing these resources with health facilities and professionals locally and globally, we aim to help others build capacity, strengthen systems, and improve newborn outcomes.
“Today, through the AdaraNewborn Training Programme, I get to pass the knowledge I have gained on to nurses and midwives working in challenging environments across the world. It’s not just training — it’s empowerment. Because when nurses are confident and skilled at the bedside, babies survive.”
Hilda Namakula, Newborn Health Manager
About Adaranewborn
This initiative is part of our broader work to strengthen health systems and save maternal and newborn lives. We specialise in delivering high-quality healthcare to women, newborns and children at health facilities, in the community and at home.
AdaraNewborn is our model for increasing survival rates for the sickest and smallest newborns and their mothers to meet Sustainable Development Goal targets. The model delivers catalytic interventions spanning the continuum of care – from pregnancy through to return home after birth. We’re now expanding this model across Uganda and beyond to save more maternal and newborn lives.
What’s inside the training programme?
- 20 targeted modules covering critical newborn care topics
- Short, in-service training sessions (30 minutes each), ideal for busy healthcare workers
- Practical bedside techniques tailored for nurses and midwives
- Simplified language to reduce medical jargon and enhance understanding
- Visual learning tools and handouts to support retention and engagement
- Interactive activities and instructor scripts to reinforce learning
- Pre/post-tests to measure knowledge gained
This training is designed to be flexible – modules can be taught individually or as a series – and centres on what nurses and midwives need to know to deliver quality care at the bedside.
Whether you’re a clinician, educator, policymaker or advocate – we invite you to use and share this curriculum widely. Together we can make quality newborn care accessible to all.
Download the modules and materials, including the Guide to Facilitation, on the Adara Knowledge Centre.
