Saving Mothers
Because no woman should die giving life
Learn how to support this organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Guatemala Birth Attendant Training Program
This program was developed to train indigenous birth attendants in Guatemala to perform prenatal care services, properly attend deliveries, and recognize complications that require hospital referral
Surgical Interventions in the Dominican Republic
This program is focused on providing much-needed surgical care to correct birth-related complications such as fistula and incontinence. In addition, our team of highly skilled surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists provide training to local healthcare providers to improve the quality of care women receive in our absence.
Maternal Continuum of Care Program in Kenya
Saving Mothers has developed a maternal curriculum of care program intended to improve antenatal care services - and thus improve maternal and neonatal outcomes - in this extremely remote and underserved area. More recently, we have incorporated family planning services into this curriculum. In addition, we perform pro bono gynecological surgeries and train local healthcare providers on clinical protocols and surgical techniques.
The mPOWHER Program
New York State has one of the highest maternal death rates in the nation and the racial disparities are stark. These disparities are only heightened in New York City, where black women are 9 times more likely to suffer a pregnancy-related death than white women. Enter Saving Mothers' mPOWHER Training Program. This proprietary program was developed in an effort to standardize training for the doulas and other community health workers who often serve as the frontline maternal health providers for women in the inner city. More specifically, this robust curriculum provides these women with the tools they need to safely guide women through their pregnancy journey and to readily identify and treat birth-related complications like preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and postpartum depression. This training is complemented by an mPOWHER Kit for the pregnant women which includes a blood pressure cuff, compression stockings & educational materials intended to improve their self-advocacy skills.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of pregnant women receiving early and adequate prenatal care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
Maternal Continuum of Care Program in Kenya
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of health education trainings conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Indigenous peoples
Related Program
Guatemala Birth Attendant Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Birth attendants trained
Number of pro bono surgeries performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
Surgical Interventions in the Dominican Republic
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Pro bono gynecological surgeries performed at both our Dominican Republic and Kenya locations
Number of safe birth kits distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Related Program
Maternal Continuum of Care Program in Kenya
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percent of donations that go directly to programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Saving Mothers is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to eradicating preventable maternal deaths and birth-related complications in developing countries. It is our firm belief that the vast majority of these deaths are due to lack of access to basic reproductive care, and that this lack of access is a human rights violation on a grand scale. At Saving Mothers, we believe that all women are entitled to quality reproductive care, and that their lives, their children's lives, and the basic fabric of society depends on this. Founded and run by medical professionals, our approach to this issue centers on educating and empowering women so they can become active participants in decision-making regarding their sexual and reproductive health. We also educate and train local healthcare providers to ensure that women in low-resource areas have access to the quality of care they deserve.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We resolve to reduce the unacceptable levels of maternal morbidity and mortality in the developing world by rectifying the appalling lack of access to skilled obstetrical care there. Our strategies for achieving this include:
(1) Training birth attendants and other medical personnel in underserved communities
(2) Developing and implementing low-tech, low-cost interventions to reduce maternal deaths from simple complications or infections at delivery
(3) Educating women about healthy behaviors during pregnancy and increasing access to quality prenatal care services
(4) Harnessing the philanthropic spirit of medical personnel in the US to bring pro bono clinical and surgical care to the women we serve
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Strategy (1): Saving Mothers has developed a curriculum for training indigenous Mayan birth attendants in Guatemala. While these birth attendants (aka comadronas) are largely unskilled, they are the only culturally acceptable form of care available to women in this community. Our curriculum is intended to bridge this cultural gap by providing comadronas with the skills necessary to perform prenatal care visits, ensure safe deliveries, and recognize life-threatening complications requiring referral. In Kenya and the Dominican Republic, we train all levels of providers on clinical and surgical protocols.
Strategy (2): Saving Mothers has developed proprietary safe birth kits designed to ensure safe deliveries in low-resource areas. At a cost of only $10, these kits have the capacity to save lives in even the most remote settings. We have also developed post-partum hemorrhage kits which provide birth attendants with the tools necessary to address this life-threatening complication.
Strategy (3): In Kenya, we have developed a Maternal Curriculum of Care Program intended to encourage earlier and more frequent prenatal care visits. Through this program we counsel women on healthy behaviors during pregnancy, provide access to ultrasound screening, and offer prenatal vitamins and safe birth kits for use at hospital delivery. We are also working with ICA to counsel women to offer free post-partum insertion of IUDs as a means of spacing pregnancies.
Strategy (4): At least twice annually, we bring teams of highly skilled surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists to both Kenya and the Dominican Republic to provide much-needed pro bono surgical care to women in underserved areas.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As mentioned in the impact summary, our organization has been very effective and in a manner that is quantifiable. Our greatest challenge, however, continues to be fundraising. So while we have done a tremendous amount with limited funding largely from small personal donations, it is our fervent hope to grow our supporter base so we can bring our services to a great many more truly deserving women throughout the world.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Saving Mothers
Board of directorsas of 08/23/2023
Terrie Paladino
Terrie Paladino
The PhB Group
Margaret Davino
Fox Rothschild
Contessa Brewer
NBC Universal
Jacques Moritz, MD
Tia Healthcare
Andrea Kutscher
Teneisha Olivierre
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No