Direct Relief Announces $40 Million Campaign in Support of 2.5 Million Safe Births Globally

Direct Relief announced a milestone campaign to raise $40 million to support more than 2.5 million safe births worldwide. The effort expands upon the organization's long-standing mission to equip healthcare providers in resource-limited regions where maternal mortality, stillbirth, and newborn mortality rates remain critically high.

The announcement was made by Direct Relief CEO Amy Weaver today on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 Annual Meeting in New York.

"Childbirth should be a moment of possibility, not one where a mother's survival depends on whether the clinic she reaches has the right medicine or equipment," Weaver said. "Every woman deserves skilled care, and every provider deserves the tools to deliver it. We want to help make that basic expectation a reality for millions more mothers and babies."

As of 2023, more than 90 percent of all maternal deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and most could have been prevented, according to the World Health Organization. The majority of deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, and often occur as a result of severe bleeding, infections, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, and complications from delivery.

To address these challenges, Direct Relief's campaign will focus on three core areas: equipping frontline health providers, including midwives; closing resource gaps for local health systems; and strengthening those systems for the future through climate-resilient infrastructure.

Equipping Midwives on the Frontlines of Care

Midwives serve as essential health providers during pregnancy and childbirth, managing routine deliveries and triaging obstetric emergencies. To support them, Direct Relief created Midwife Kits containing essential items for safe delivery. Endorsed by the International Confederation of Midwives, or ICM, these kits have equipped providers across 35 countries.

"Each kit contains 61 items-from newborn resuscitation tools and baby scales to magnesium sulfate for preventing eclampsia. These are things that prevent maternal and neonatal emergencies. It's lifesaving equipment," said Dr. Faith Adole of the U-VOL Foundation, which has received Direct Relief Midwife Kits and used them during training for midwives and health providers in Nigeria.

"Once we brought in the Midwife Kits from Direct Relief, we were able to provide more advanced training in low-resource settings. The kits didn't just supplement our curriculum-they elevated it."

The kits have been used in disaster settings after emergencies, including in northwest Syria after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. Hiba, a midwife who asked that her full name not be used due to security concerns, said Midwife Kits from Direct Relief supported care for women post-earthquake when supply lines into the country became interrupted.

"These are the best kits we receive," she said. "The contents are all there, like the scales and other delivery tools. And especially in the cases of emergency delivery attempts, everything is there, and we don't have to buy any additional items to be prepared."

In Haiti, midwives continued providing care during political unrest and violence, compounded by the impacts of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Tezita Negussie of the organization Konbit Sante explained that the lack of medication and supplies in Haiti places an ongoing burden on physicians and midwives.

"One of the most needed sets of materials is what you offer," she told Direct Relief. "It's critical."

Konbit Sante placed Direct Relief Midwife Kits at four partner facilities, including Hôpital Universitaire Justinien, a teaching hospital in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, post-hurricane.

Since 2012, Direct Relief has delivered over 6,000 Midwife and Replenishment Kits to midwives in low-resource settings, facilitating an estimated 300,000 deliveries.

Direct Relief has also provided emergency funding to support midwives in areas affected by disaster and humanitarian crisis. In recent years, the organization has provided grant funding in response to natural disasters to increase emergency obstetric services in the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia, and Haiti, among others.

Protecting Mothers and Babies, Before and After Birth

In addition to delivery-centered support, Direct Relief targets medical aid to address pre- and post-natal complications. The organization developed a Perinatal Health Kit, designed to treat and prevent complications for women and babies that can occur in the time before and after giving birth, including preeclampsia/eclampsia, prevention of premature birth, infection, and respiratory distress. The kits have been deployed to pilot sites in Bangladesh, Somaliland, Malawi, and Tanzania.

The organization also developed a Fistula Repair Module, which contains surgical supplies needed to equip surgeons treating obstetric fistula, a birth injury that can occur during prolonged and obstructed labor. The kit has been officially endorsed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, or FIGO, and has been shipped to 25 countries.

This commitment signals a ramping up of support for maternal and child health, at a time when needs are high, and health systems are forced to do more with less, Weaver said.

"A healthy start can change the course of a life," Weaver said. "Our commitment is not only to a single moment of care, but to the health providers and local systems that women and families rely on before, during, and after childbirth."

To learn more about the campaign, visit directrelief.org/firsts.