About

OUR MISSION

Advancing Neonatal Care in Africa

Neonatal mortality accounts for nearly half of under-5 mortality worldwide, with Sub-Saharan Africa bearing the highest burden. Prematurity and its complications stand as the primary cause of death during the first month of life. Despite comprising only 3% of annual mortality globally, neonatal deaths in many African nations exceed 10%, remaining the leading cause of death regardless of age or gender. In a continent with over 1.3 billion people, Africa faces significant disparities in access to specialized neonatal care.

Beginnings

In response to this critical need, the Tiny Feet, Big Steps (TFBS) Neonatology Conference was inaugurated in 2021. It emerged to meet the escalating demand for evidence-based neonatology training, focusing on low-cost, low-tech interventions to enhance the survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature and critically ill newborns in East Africa.

Rapid Growth
Rooted in the success story of achieving a NICU survival rate exceeding 92%, the TFBS Neonatology Conference has rapidly evolved into one of the largest clinical neonatology gatherings in Africa. This growth is fueled by collaboration with both local and international stakeholders, cementing its position as a beacon of advancement in neonatal care.

ICHA's experience in advancing neonatology has been drawn from the work of Dr Swanson and the NICU team at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC), where evidence-based, innovative models and protocols of neonatal care appropriate for limited income settings have been practiced and improved.

Practical Training
At the "Tiny Feet, Big Steps" Neonatology Conference, every lecture and workshop is tailored to address the unique challenges encountered within African healthcare settings. Through interactive, hands-on skills workshops, attendees gain practical insights and solutions that can be immediately applied in their clinical practice.

With over 90 lectures and advanced skills workshops offered at TFBS 2024, participants received comprehensive education from a diverse range of subspecialties, including neonatology, pediatrics, pediatric cardiology, pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric neurosurgery, neurodevelopment, nutrition, physiotherapy, pediatric surgery, and intensive care nursing.

Moreover, the conference banquet served as a platform for NICU teams to exchange innovations and improvements implemented from previous TFBS conferences and hospitals' quality improvement initiatives. This real-world application underscores the practical impact of the knowledge gained through these annual neonatology conferences.

Conference Participants by Year

Our Approach

Four Foundations: Care + Training
Institute for Child Healthcare Africa's Four Foundations of Neonatal & Pediatric Care and Training

Providing Clinical Care

1. Low-cost, high-impact care of premature and hospitalized newborns in our partner NICUs at:

Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC).
Kivulini Maternity Centre NICU Physician Support.
Potential new hospital relationships ICHA is fostering.

2. Specialty outpatient and inpatient pediatric care through the:

Arusha Pediatric & Maternity Centre (APMC) - a first ever dedicated specialty centre for outpatient care of infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women.
Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC) pediatric ward and clinics.

Training Physicians & Nurses

3. Tiny Feet Big Steps (TFBS) Neonatology Conferences uniquely co-training physicians and nurses, with a strong emphasis on innovation, clinical proficiency, and actionable healthcare strategies.

Leading the largest African Neonatology Conference in Arusha, Tanzania.
Expanding to Ethiopia (Dec. 2025).
Exploring expansion opportunities at the request of other countries.
Resourcing medical staff with our Every Breath Counts handbook: a 400-page neonatal care handbook offering evidence-based protocols, drug dosing, and NICU procedures for low-resource settings. It’s been distributed to nearly 250 hospitals across 25 African countries, serving as a key training tool to improve newborn survival.

4. Developing Pediatrics in Africa through Mentorship & Training:

7 Tanzanian doctors and 20 NICU nurses are currently supported by ICHA.
4 doctors in international residency programs (Kenya, South Africa, USA) that ICHA has helped reach this stage of training.
Teaching at Pediatric Association of Tanzania and other venues.

Equipping Attendees
The 'Every Breath Counts' Handbook

To complement the conference's educational endeavors, attendees are provided with the locally published handbook titled "Every Breath Counts, Manual of Neonatal Care & Drug Doses 2nd Edition." Authored by Dr. Swanson and his team, this handbook furnishes foundational protocols to conference participants, further enriching their learning experience.

Impact Stories

Gifts of Care

In a setting where "every breath counts, no matter how small," a dedicated and compassionate NICU team saves the life of a tiny baby girl and gifts a miracle to her family.

Small Details Matter

The participation of the whole family in the healthcare and wellness of tiny babies is important for their growth in the journey from surviving to thriving. Those tiny feet make big steps when small details matter.

Miracles Do Happen

A 25-week preterm baby who survived during a time when ALMC NICU was pioneering new interventions for small babies in Tanzania.

Tiny Miracles

The babies that survive because of the NICU at Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (Tanzania) are tiny miracles.

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