A Bold Solution to a Maternal Health Crisis in Sierra Leone

No woman should die giving birth.

With your support, we can work to ensure that every pregnant woman can look forward to childbirth as a moment to celebrate, not one to fear. Authors and vlogbrothers, John and Hank Green, have also joined with Partners in Health (PIH) to help raise the profile of this project and build a group of supporters to radically reduce maternal mortality in Sierra Leone.

The Crisis

75% of maternal deaths are preventable and nearly all maternal deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. Access to quality care can mean the difference between life and death.

In Sierra Leone, 1 in 74 women will die due to pregnancy or childbirth. (Compared to 1 in 4,000 in the U.S. and 1 in 60,000 in Norway.)

This is catastrophically high.

The Solution: The Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE)

To address this crisis, Partners In Health, in partnership with the Sierre Leone Ministry of Health, is building the Maternal Center of Excellence in rural Kono District, Sierra Leone—a cutting-edge new facility designed to save lives and set a national standard for maternal care.

Opening in October 2026, the MCOE will:

-Serve more than 4,063 women and 2,900 babies

-Provide free, high-quality care for women

-Offer free family planning services

-House Sierra Leone’s only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

-Include 4 buildings and 3 operating theaters

-Serve as a national referral center and hub for innovation

-Invest in training for health care workers

This is more than a building. It’s a bold and radical solution to reduce the maternal mortality rate in Sierre Leone.

How you can Help

Your donation, no matter the size, has the power to make a real difference for a woman and her baby:

-Every $20 donated provides labs needed for 4 expectant mothers

-Every $60 donated provides full antenatal care during a woman’s pregnancy

-Every $100 donated makes it possible for 11 mothers to receive blood when experiencing a post-partum hemorrhage.

-Every $230 donated provides a mother and child with necessary drugs and medicines while in the NICU

-Every $1000 donated provides full antenatal care for 16 women

Donate today to ensure that every mother and baby in Sierra Leone gets the care they deserve.

Partners in health will use your gift as efficiently as possible where it is needed most, providing items and services like those listed above. PIH is committed to working with the local community and ministry to ensure the MCOE not only improves maternal and newborn health but bends the arc of history towards health justice for all.