In 2024, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) commemorated 20 years of delivering life-saving interventions across maternal, newborn, child, and community health in Nigeria. Founded by Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Ojora Saraki, WBFA has grown into a trusted driver of quality, equity, and innovation in African health systems. This year’s report celebrates a dual achievement: our annual results and our twodecade legacy of transformative impact.
Throughout the year, WBFA initiated, designed, implemented and sustained programming that addressed key national health priorities. MamaCare360 supported over 71,000 pregnant women and facilitated more than 14,000 safe deliveries. The NICU Plus initiative provided critical care to 876 preterm babies, and over 850,000ml of breastmilk was expressed for neonatal support. The Digital Midwifery Platform expanded its user base with over 3,000 new members, supporting 12,329 mothers through WhatsApp-enabled health guidance. Hygiene Quest reached more than 238,000 beneficiaries, including students, mothers, and community members, exceeding its original target. Project Oscar successfully screened 223 newborns for jaundice and treated 39 with zero recorded mortality, while the Global Health Workforce Programme trained 225 resident doctors in emergency obstetric care, establishing two Centers of Excellence and improving clinical skills by 15%.
WBFA’s 2024 efforts directly responded to maternal and child health challenges identified in the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). “While the NDHS revealed that only 67% of women received skilled antenatal care and just 43% delivered in health facilities, MamaCare360 contributed to reversing these trends by improving access to structured, midwife-led antenatal and postnatal education”. Similarly, WBFA addressed the “neonatal mortality rate of 35 per 1,000 live births by deploying Project Oscar and NICU Plus, which together recorded zero neonatal jaundice deaths and extensive neonatal support contributing to the Nigeria’s targets”.
WBFA also targeted adolescent reproductive health issues, responding to the NDHS finding that 15% of girls aged 15–19 have been pregnant. The organisation used its Hygiene Quest program and thematic advocacy days like #TeenageTuesday to provide reproductive health education to young people. To tackle low contraceptive uptake, particularly in rural areas where modern contraceptive prevalence is only 10.2%, WBFA integrated family planning into MamaCare360 sessions and digital health channels. Furthermore, WBFA’s emergency obstetric training addressed the NDHS-identified gap in skilled obstetric care, with 225 doctors trained and two tertiary hospitals equipped as Centers of Excellence. These interventions show strong alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.1 (maternal mortality), 3.2 (neonatal mortality), 3.7 (SRMNCAH access), and 3.d (health systems resilience).
In 2024, WBFA maintained an active presence in Lagos, Kwara, Osun, Cross River, Sokoto, Kano, the Federal Capital Territory, and Ghana, engaging over 80 health facilities across diverse settings, including urban, rural, and refugee communities such as Ogoja. Strategic partnerships included engagements with UNFPA, WHO, Reckitt, GE HealthCare, Laerdal, LSHTM, LSTM, UNHCR, and NANNM, while WBFA represented Nigeria on global platforms such as AIDS2024, One Young World Montreal, and the Unifying Midwifery in Africa Summit.
Since its founding in 2004, WBFA has transitioned from a grassroots maternal health initiative to a nationally and globally recognised NGO. Over 2 million women, children, and families have benefited from its community-rooted and evidenceinformed interventions. Milestones include the establishment of MamaCare classes, advocacy under the MDGs and SDGs, innovations in digital health and data systems, and the introduction of neonatal jaundice screening and treatment through Project Oscar. WBFA has consistently strengthened midwifery-led systems, influenced national maternal and newborn health policy, and built networks of trained health professionals across five Nigerian states. Central to these achievements was WBFA’s robust communications strategy, which amplified the visibility and impact of our programs. Through advocacy, strategic partnerships, and multi-channel campaigns, the Communications Unit achieved over 211,000 social media impressions and successfully engaged stakeholders across local and global platforms. These efforts enhanced community awareness, fostered collaboration, and aligned with international advocacy efforts.
Key achievements in 2024 include: Reaching over 170,000 students, 42,998 pregnant and lactating mothers, and 24,800 community members through hygiene education. Supporting over 818 mothers and 876 babies in neonatal intensive care units. Engaging over 50 stakeholders through advocacy visits and public events. Participating in global forums such as AIDS2024 and the One Young World Summit showcases WBFA’s commitment to health equity and innovation. Looking forward, WBFA aims to scale proven interventions like MamaCare360 and Project Oscar, extend the Digital Midwifery Platform nationwide, and institutionalise the AOSS curriculum for postgraduate medical training. The organisation will introduce digital dashboards for real-time monitoring, promote gender-responsive health financing, and localise its models across West Africa through strategic documentation, youth engagement, and community health governance. Advocacy will also target maternal mental health, school-based WASH, and emergency SRMNCAH+N integration.
The 2024 annual results and 20-year retrospective underscore WBFA’s transformative role in Nigeria’s maternal and child health landscape. By directly addressing gaps identified in the 2023–24 NDHS and aligning with global health goals, WBFA continues to deliver high-impact, community-based healthcare solutions. As it enters its third decade, the Foundation remains committed to delivering quality healthcare and wellbeing for all — one mother, one baby, and one community at a time.