DRC Wasaidizi volunteer, Joyce, weighing baby and providing post-natal counseling with mother.

Every year on April 7, World Health Day brings global attention to a pressing health issue. In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a year-long campaign focused on maternal and newborn health under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.” The goal is urgent and clear: to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and to prioritize the long-term well-being of women everywhere.

At HealthEd Connect, these goals are aligned with our mission. Every day, our trained community health volunteers—many of them women leaders in their communities—ensure that mothers and babies not only survive, but thrive.

From prenatal checkups to postpartum care, infant growth monitoring, nutrition counseling, and sanitation education, our volunteers are equipped to provide care in some of the most underserved areas. As trusted advocates, they also serve as vital links between families and formal health systems.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where maternal mortality remains alarmingly high, our Wasaidizi community health volunteers are making a life-saving difference. Trained by local medical professionals as traditional birth attendants, these volunteers provide skilled care before, during, and after childbirth. Their training emphasizes how to spot high-risk pregnancies early and safely refer mothers to hospitals when needed—a simple but essential step that can mean the difference between life and death.

This work is critical. According to the WHO, nearly 300,000 women die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes each year. Over 2 million babies die within their first month, and another 2 million are stillborn. That’s one preventable loss every seven seconds.

But hope is rising.

In 2024 alone, our community health partners in four countries:

• Safely delivered 3,473 babies while keeping mothers healthy

• Immunized 26,034 infants and children against preventable diseases

• Monitored the growth and development of 147,548 children from birth to five years

These numbers represent lives protected, futures made possible, and communities strengthened.

As we recognize World Health Day 2025, we reaffirm our commitment to investing in the health and well-being of women and children. Because healthy mothers and babies are the heartbeat of thriving communities.

Let’s work together for healthy beginnings and hopeful futures for all.

DRC Wasaidizi volunteer, Nathalie, dressed for traditional birth attendant training at local health clinic.

A solar-powered pump draws clean water for the Mulundu, Zambia community.

Recognizing World Water Day - March 22

Water is life. Access to clean and reliable water is not just about quenching thirst. It’s also about safeguarding health and enabling communities to thrive. Yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), over two billion people globally still lack access to safe drinking water. In many developing countries, families rely on distant or contaminated water sources, increasing the risk of severe illnesses caused by poor sanitation and lack of access to clean water. For children under five, unsafe water is a leading cause of death, with diarrhea-related illnesses claiming thousands of lives annually.

Beyond physical health, the absence of reliable water access also affects mental well-being and economic stability. Women and children often bear the burden of fetching water, walking long distances each day. This time-consuming task limits educational opportunities for children and reduces productive hours for women, perpetuating cycles of poverty.

HealthEd Connect, through the generosity of donors and grants, has been investing in water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in multiple communities. Solar-powered pumps draw water from deep boreholes, ensuring a consistent water supply within the community, and reducing labor-intensive journeys to collect water. Latrines improve community health by ensuring human waste is properly disposed and does not contaminate land and water. And our Community Health Advocates educate women, children, and families about the importance of good hygiene, safe sanitation, and clean drinking water to prevent illnesses. They also teach caregivers how to make and administer Oral Rehydration Solution, credited with saving children’s lives.

Supporting initiatives that provide access to clean water transforms lives, laying the foundation for health, education, and economic empowerment. Every drop counts!