Every week, Isabelle Furaha leads a team of volunteers across hospital wards and communities in Uganda, tracking some of the country’s most vulnerable newborns, premature babies who survive birth but remain at high risk.
Her team supports mothers with practical skills such as keeping babies warm, ensuring proper feeding, and identifying early signs of infection.
For many families, this support has become critical in determining whether a child survives beyond the first weeks at home.
Furaha is the founder of Mama Tulia Ministries, an organisation that focuses on supporting mothers and newborns during the transition from hospital care to home.
Her work has attracted international recognition. This week, she received the Innovation and Collaboration Award at the Global Foundation for Care of Newborn Summit in Germany.
Speaking after receiving the award, Furaha credited her team and partners for the achievement.
“Our work has always been about collaboration,” she said. “From our staff to volunteers and partners, this recognition belongs to everyone supporting these families.”
In Uganda, many premature babies survive neonatal intensive care but face serious risks after discharge. Infections, poor living conditions, and limited caregiver knowledge continue to threaten their survival. Furaha’s work seeks to close this gap through a continuum of care model.
Through Mama Tulia Ministries, mothers are prepared before discharge, followed up at home, and supported with specialised interventions. These include screening and treatment for Retinopathy of Prematurity, a condition that can cause blindness if not detected early.
The organisation’s impact has grown steadily. It has supported more than 10,700 mothers and babies, conducted over 7,600 home visits,…the the the . the focus keywordthe focus keywordthe focus keyword., and worked with health facilities through more than 500 hospital engagements.
Its contribution to eye care for premature babies has been significant. More than 2,000 babies have been screened for Retinopathy of Prematurity. Of these, 262 were diagnosed and 243 successfully treated, helping to prevent avoidable blindness.
Earlier this year, Furaha expanded the initiative with the launch of the Tulia Tender Nest Transition Home, a facility designed to stabilise high-risk mothers and babies before they return home. Since February, it has supported more than 20 mothers and 24 babies.
Beyond medical care, the organisation addresses wider social challenges that affect newborn survival. It has distributed more than 200 water filters to vulnerable households and provides psychosocial support, including programmes for teenage mothers and efforts to involve fathers in newborn care.
Health experts say such integrated and community-based approaches are essential in improving outcomes for premature babies, especially in low-resource settings where post-hospital care remains limited.
