Global Birthing Home Foundation

The mission of Global Birthing Home Foundation is to significantly reduce maternal and infant mortality rates in impoverished communities.

In Haiti, the services of our pilot, modern maternity center, Maison de Naissance (MN, "Home of Birth") and community health program are offered from the hospitality of a safe, culturally appropriate, welcoming, and friendly home: a home for birth - Maison de Naissance.

Our challenge is to prevent maternal and infant deaths. Maternal and infant mortality rates in Haiti are among the highest in the world. The causes of mortality are both social and medical. We have therefore developed a model combining both social justice and medical excellence to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Our strategy has been to recognize the barriers which deny healthcare to the poor and strive to overcome them. Maison de Naissance provides accessible, free, reliable healthcare. We employ innovative technologies to insure quality and measure outcome.

Our vision is 'Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies' - communities where maternal and neonatal mortality rates are low and every infant has the opportunity for a healthy birth.

Our Guiding Principles:

· High-quality maternal and infant healthcare, including full prenatal, maternal, and postnatal care, provided with compassion and dignity.

· Maternal healthcare that is available, accessible, and accepted, including personal linkages to every expectant mother in our zone of service, in order to provide healthcare that is free (thus, no barrier of availability), with doors open on a 24/7 basis and with transportation service if needed (thus, no barrier of accessibility), and welcoming (thus, no barrier of acceptance).

· Indigenous management, including local staffing, with programs for technical skills enhancement, professional training, and education.

· Innovative and efficient use of technology, including electronic medical records (MN Health Atlas), telemedicine through IM and internet transmission, specially designed assessment tools, etc.

· Community engagement, including population surveys using demographic and GIS-based mapping, collaboration with community and government bodies, partnerships with other agencies, etc.

It is our hope the Maison de Naissance is not only an effective local solution but also a scalable model which will be of assistance to meet the Millennium Development Goals, especially the reduction of maternal and child mortality. Plans are underway to replicate the Maison de Naissance model in Haiti and other countries.