Mama Program

Supporting Mothers. Preventing Complications. Strengthening Communities.

Our Mama Program is a community-based initiative by Allied Doctors and Friends of Africa (ADFA) and Musawo, designed to ensure that mothers receive quality follow-up care after giving birth. Many life-threatening complications occur within the first six weeks following child birth, yet most mothers return home without adequate monitoring or support. Our program bridges this critical gap.

Why This Program Matters

In Uganda, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is about 189 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

Most maternal deaths occur during childbirth or in the postpartum period — often as a result of hemorrhage, infection (sepsis), or hypertensive disorders.

A recent cross-sectional study from health facilities in Uganda found that about 14.1% of mothers had at least one postpartum complication. Among these, ~67.6% experienced postpartum hemorrhage, ~13.5% had perineal tears, and ~10.8% had cervical tears.

Global and local evidence shows that many of these deaths and complications are preventable — especially with timely follow-up, early detection, and referral for proper postpartum care.

What We Do

Given these figures, it is clear: without active postpartum monitoring and care, a significant proportion of mothers remain at high risk of serious complications — or even death. Our goal is to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by bringing specialised follow-up care directly where mothers live.
In a hospital-based study at a Ugandan teaching hospital, puerperal sepsis accounted for roughly 30.9% of maternal deaths, followed by postpartum hemorrhage at ~21.6%, and hypertensive disorders (pre-eclampsia / eclampsia) at ~14.4%.

Who Benefits

Mothers who have just delivered (normal or C-section)
Teen mothers — who are often at higher risk
Mothers from high-risk pregnancies (pre-eclampsia, anemia, diabetes, multiple pregnancy)
Mothers with limited access to health facilities (rural, remote, or poor transport)

Our Impact (What We Aim to Achieve)

Through this program, we aim to:

Reduce preventable postpartum deaths and morbidity
Detect complications early, before they escalate
Improve maternal and newborn outcomes (healing, breastfeeding success, lower infection rate)
Support families with knowledge and practical skills to care for mothers and babies
Strengthen community health systems — especially for postpartum care, which often receives inadequate attention
Our program believes that with timely home-based follow-up + community education + strong referral linkage, we can significantly lower the postpartum complication rate, and reduce maternal mortality toward — and beyond — national targets.