Our support to the mums and babies in Ukraine
“Children are the future of all nations, and their mothers are the soil which helps them grow”.
Building upon the provision of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) wraps by the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals (IRFHP) for newborn babies in Ukraine, and following a needs survey indicating a desire for learning opportunities related to quality improvement and KMC, the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown (Canada), Rotary Club of Newbury (UK), Rotary Club of Sackville and Area (Canada) and IRFHP (represented by Dr. John Philip who attended the workshop) sponsored this learning opportunity.
Six Neonatologists and 6 Newborn Care Nurses were selected by the Association of Neonatologists of Ukraine (led by Prof. T. Znamenska) to travel to Chisinau, Moldova for a two-day workshop Oct 5-6, 2026. This included Evidence-Based Practice for Improving Quality (EPIQ) and Quality Improvement integrated Kangaroo Mother Care (QIiKMC) – content at www.cnf-fnc.ca.
Learning to use KMC wraps
Led by volunteer Canadian Neonatologists Drs. Nalini Singhal and Doug McMillan, small group interactive sessions were conducted using learning materials previously translated into Ukrainian by the All-Ukrainian Babywearing Association (Olha Nikolyuk). The workshop helped prepare participants to assist the learning of others after returning home.
This program focused on methods to assist healthcare workers to help solve problems within their control and to prepare mothers and other family members to care for their small, preterm or sick newborn baby. The importance of family involvement in care of their newborn baby is magnified greatly when babies are required to receive care in bomb shelters. Care of the baby by families not only improves neonatal survival, improves breast feeding/nutrition and prevents infection but also decreases depression in mothers.
Thanks go to Geta Rasciuc (ASCEND INC., who make the wraps) for organizing the workshop, Olesia Shevchenko (Chair, Association of Ukrainian Diplomatic Spouses) who facilitated a visit with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Moldova and provides ongoing support and Dr. Tatiana Caraus with The Mother and Baby Institute in Chisinau who provided the workshop venue.
Doctors and nurses work on problems
Following a day to discuss further opportunities in Ukraine Oct 7, 2026, a similar workshop was conducted Oct 8-9, 2026, for twelve Moldovan Neonatologists and Nurses along with two Ukrainians who stayed to consolidate their learning and ability to provide further leadership in Ukraine.
There were challenges including translation required for many participants and facilitators (during the Moldovan workshop, conversations included Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian and English). Participants verbally indicated the workshop was felt to be valuable to their care of babies (summary of translated written evaluations to follow). Appreciation by participants was strong with organization and presentation of learning opportunities felt very valuable for the future. Participants’ comments indicated they would use the structured format to start small improvement changes such as the amount of time mothers provide KMC, have a better system for hand washing, decrease reliance on tube feeding and better prepare families to care for their baby at home.
Value for money spent is considered large. There is ongoing need for wraps and assistance in spreading learning (follow up Zoom calls are planned), but the future is a bit brighter.
We should all remember the words of the renowned Indian Pediatrician Dr. Meharban Singh: “Children are the future of all nations, and their mothers are the soil which helps them grow”.
The Fellowship has been supporting colleagues in Ukraine since the onset of the war.