ATLANTA — Emory University's School of Nursing is getting more than $8 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help improve birth mother and newborn survival rates in Ethiopia.
The 2 1/2-year project will pair Emory faculty and students with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health to create better public health practices for the country. The project aims to improve the skills of frontline health care workers like volunteers and birth attendants.
The majority of births in Ethiopia are in the home, so the program will try to create a community-oriented approach.
According to the World Health Organization, the lifetime risk of a dying during childbirth in Ethiopia is 1 in 27. Infant mortality rate is 77 deaths per 1,000 live births.
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