Neonatologists for Africa

NFA, or Neonatologists for Africa, is a newly established NGO (non-governmental organization) that aims to fundamentally change the approach, equipment, and treatment of newborns in the first minute of their life, the Golden Minute, in target countries in Africa. Our goal is to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality rates among this population.

The challenge

Infant mortality rate (IMR) in Africa ranges
from 30/1000 life birth to 67.5/1000 in
various countries and sites

a large portion of this deaths occur in the
first days of life, many of them are
preventable by proper simple intervention
basic in the first minute of life – also known
as the GOLDEN MINUTE

Our vision

our vision is reducing dramatically preventable
IMR in designated sites in Africa by :
a. teaching local health providers the basic knowledge
to enable proper neonatal resuscitation
(golden minute algorithm)
b. providing and installing neonatal ventilation equipment
adapted to local infrastructure
c. providing long term support and encouraging
motivation and building local capacity by tech to tech
and joined team work

Our story

The beginning: A humanitarian visit to Chad

In March 2022, Dr. Meir Ezra Elia, a pediatric professional, visited Benjama hospital in Chad as part of a humanitarian delegation of medical personnel. There, he observed that local newborns were not receiving the medical help they needed in the first minute of their lives. The main difference he noticed was in the “golden minute,” the critical first minute after birth when applying proper life support can make a significant difference in a baby’s life.

The golden minute

This lack of...

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Strategy

The intervention model: a two-Step approach

The association’s intervention model is called step 1, step 2

Step 1: understanding local needs and creating an intervention plan

A limited team with knowledge, technical abilities, and good interpersonal communication travels to the destination country. The team gets to know selected hospitals, understands the gaps in knowledge, equipment, and motivation, creates interpersonal relationships with the local teams, maps logistical barriers, and assesses local needs. Upon returning to Israel, the professional team creates an operative intervention plan, and the purchasing department will make...

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About us