Skilled birth attendance reached 99.6% across Nyabiheke and Mahama refugee camps and Nkamira Transit Centre for asylum seekers during the first half of 2026. This achievement was driven by strengthened on-site maternal health services, competency-based midwife training, community health mobilization, and life-saving innovations such as drone-assisted blood delivery for obstetric emergencies.
Skilled birth attendance reached 99.6% across Nyabiheke and Mahama refugee camps and Nkamira Transit Centre during the first six months of 2026. The achievement reflects improvements in maternal healthcare services, strong community engagement, emergency response innovations, and collaboration between humanitarian and government partners.
A key contributor to this progress was specialized, competency-based training for midwives working in Save the Children-supported health facilities. The regular training focused on preventing the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths through evidence-based clinical practices, timely referrals to tertiary hospitals. Also availability of equipment, delivery kits and medicines to conduct deliveries have been vital in ensuring this is achieved.
The programme also strengthened access to life-saving interventions, including rapid blood delivery by drone for mothers experiencing severe bleeding.
Aimee*, a mother of four living in Nyabiheke Refugee Camp, experienced vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, putting both her life and that of her unborn baby at risk. The complication was identified during routine antenatal care visits, allowing health workers to closely monitor her condition and ensure she received appropriate treatment.
“When I came to the [medicalized] health centre, doctors cared for me well and provided a blood transfusion. They did whatever it took to save our lives,” she said.
Rehema*, 36, mother of four in Mahama refugee camp, developed severe anemia while giving birth to twins and needed an urgent blood transfusion. Receiving blood quickly at the Medicalised Health Centre in the camp enabled a successful cesarean section that saved her and her twins.
“Medical staff referred me to Ngarama Hospital for a cesarean section to save my baby and me. Without their support and care, I do not think we would have survived,” she said.
In Mahama Refugee Camp, Rehema*, 36, was expecting twins when she developed severe anaemia and required urgent medical attention during delivery. Access to timely blood transfusion services and emergency obstetric care enabled doctors to safely perform a cesarean section, saving the lives of both mother and babies.
“When I arrived at the [medicalized] health centre, the doctors took good care of me and provided the blood transfusion I needed. They did everything possible to save our lives,” she said.
Between January and June 2026, Save the Children supported 849 safe deliveries across Nyabiheke, Mahama, and Nkamira, including 128 cesarean sections performed at Mahama Medicalized Health Centre. Mothers and newborns also benefitted from comprehensive postnatal care, including facility-based follow-up, home visits by community health workers, and routine childhood immunization services.
“To continue saving the lives of mothers and newborns, we need increased investment in health sector development to ensure every child has a healthy start in life,” said Jean Damscene Nsengiyumva, a Save the Children midwife in Nyabiheke.
Since 2016, Save the Children has supported maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services for refugees and asylum seekers in Mahama, Nyabiheke, and Nkamira in partnership with the Government of Rwanda, UNHCR, and the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM).
