SAPA & Embrace Global: 127 Warmer Packs Reach 43 Sudanese Facilities

In a critical step toward strengthening neonatal care amid Sudan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, SAPA, in collaboration with Embrace Global, has successfully distributed 127 Embrace infant warmer packs to 43 health facilities across multiple Sudanese states. Alongside the distribution, 1,033 healthcare providers have already been trained in the use of the warmers.

This initiative addresses one of the most urgent and preventable causes of newborn mortality in crisis settings: hypothermia. As conflict, displacement, and strained health systems continue to put Sudan’s most vulnerable at risk, this partnership represents a tangible, lifesaving intervention for newborns fighting to survive their first days of life.

A Lifesaving Tool for Newborns in Crisis

Embrace infant warmers are portable, electricity-free devices designed specifically for low-resource and emergency settings. Unlike traditional incubators, these warmers do not require continuous power, making them ideal for facilities affected by outages, fuel shortages, or damaged infrastructure.

In Sudan, where many hospitals are operating under extreme constraints, these warmers offer frontline health workers a reliable way to stabilize newborn body temperature, particularly for preterm and low-birth-weight infants.

Medical professionals working in conflict-affected regions have repeatedly emphasized that maintaining warmth during the first hours of life can mean the difference between survival and loss. By placing this technology directly into maternity wards, neonatal units, and rural facilities, the SAPA–Embrace Global collaboration is helping bridge a critical gap in neonatal care.

Distribution Progress Till Date

As of the latest update:

• 127 warmer packs (out of a planned 150) have been distributed
• 43 health facilities (out of a target 55) have received warmers
• 1,033 healthcare providers have been trained at facility level

Distribution and training have been conducted simultaneously in most locations. In many facilities, hands-on training was completed within a few hours of delivery, allowing staff to begin using the warmers almost immediately.

A detailed, facility-level breakdown, including state-wise distribution and the number of healthcare providers trained at each site, is available through the project’s internal tracking system and will continue to be updated as reporting from the states is finalized.

Training the Frontline and Building Local Capacity

Training has been a cornerstone of this initiative. Rather than relying on centralized workshops, SAPA and Embrace adopted a facility-based training model, ensuring that healthcare workers could learn directly within their own clinical environments. This approach allowed teams to immediately connect training with real-world application, making adoption faster and more practical under crisis conditions.

The training engaged a wide range of frontline professionals, including nurses and midwives working in maternity wards, doctors providing neonatal and obstetric care, and other facility-based healthcare providers responsible for newborn stabilization. By training entire care teams together, facilities were better prepared to integrate the warmers into routine neonatal protocols.

Early Impact and Field Observations

Although formal utilization reports are pending, initial feedback from healthcare providers has been encouraging. Clinicians have reported that the warmers are:

• Easy to use under emergency conditions
• Especially effective during night shifts and power outages
• A critical substitute when incubators are unavailable or nonfunctional

Once full reports are compiled, SAPA will be able to evaluate:

• Utilization versus projected targets
• Patterns of use across states and facility types
• Opportunities to strengthen neonatal protocols using the warmers

Why These Baby Warmers Matters; Now More Than Ever

Sudan’s healthcare system continues to operate under immense pressure. Neonates remain among the most at-risk populations. This collaboration between SAPA and Embrace Global shows what targeted, well-designed interventions can achieve even in the most difficult circumstances. Every warmer placed in a facility represents a chance at survival. Every trained healthcare provider multiplies that impact.

How You Can Help

SAPA continues to mobilize resources to expand lifesaving healthcare services across Sudan. Support from donors and partners is essential to sustain and scale these efforts. Every contribution helps ensure that more facilities receive essential tools, and that more newborns get a fighting chance at life.

Donate Now