It may seem a little quiet around SocialGoodMoms.com, but for good reason. I am co-leading a group of journalists throughout Ethiopia who are reporting on newborn health with the International Reporting Project.  Putting together a robust itinerary for the journalists has been a capstone to all of the knowledge I have gained since learning about the importance of saving newborns.

The timing of this trip is perfect in the midst of such important achievements for newborns including the adoption of the Every Newborn Action Plan and the Partners’ Forum that will take place at the beginning of July in Johannesburg.

Thus far the journalists have seen Kangaroo Mother Care and the best NICU in the country at Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa’s largest hospital. They have seen how orphaned newborns are placed in homes with SOS Children’s Villages. They have also looked at obstetrics services and family planning with Marie Stopes’s largest clinic and community-based Blue Star clinics in urban areas. Yesterday, we spent a full day with Save the Children in Mosebo village (about 43 kilometers from Bahir Dar) and how they are advocating for Kangaroo Mother Care in rural areas as well as ways in which they are working with Health Extension Workers to save more newborns and their mothers.

The trip goes until June 27. Follow the journalists at #EthiopiaNewborns.