Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) is a Global Development Alliance (GDA) that was established in 2010 with the aim to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality through training of the health care providers who prevent and manage newborn asphyxia.
It was founded by the American Academy of Pediatrics, USAID, Laerdal Global Health, Save the Children and Eunice Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
HBB initiative provides initial and continuing training in neonatal resuscitation and resuscitation equipment for delivery facilities, but also focuses on monitoring, quality improvement processes and evaluation, in order to ensure maximum possible impact.
Between June 2010 and December 2014 the GDA introduced the HBB in 77 countries around the world including Iraq.
In the Kurdistan Region HBB is being implemented by the LDS Charities, a non-profit organization which conducts charitable and humanitarian activities around the world. During 2015 LDS Charities developed a close cooperation with the College of Nursing of Hawler Medical University in Erbil that will become a formal partnership in October 2015. On the basis of this partnership the College of Nursing will become a facilitator in provision and organization of training, distribution of training equipment and evaluation of the programme.
The College of Nursing of Hawler Medical University already has a working group for implementation of the HBB programme that includes qualified trainers trained by the LDS Charities.
The aim of the College of Nursing with respect to the HBB is to facilitate the implementation of the project at the regional level involving the Governorates of Duhok, Sulaimani and Halabja, in order to contribute to the reduction of neonatal mortality due to newborn asphyxia through training of the largest possible number of health care providers involved in deliveries and newborn care.
In the future, we would like to continue our collaboration with LDS Charities in implementation of further developmental programmes that are part of Essential Newborn Care initiative.
If you require further information about the HBB project or its implementation in the Kurdistan Region please do not hesitate to contact us.