How Warmth Saved Tirhas’s Newborn

In northern Ethiopia, the walls of Maitsebri Primary Hospital hold stories of resilience—of families rebuilding after conflict and of newborns who arrive already fighting to survive. One of those stories belongs to Tirhas, a 22-year-old first-time mother who traveled for hours from her remote village, hoping her baby girl would be safe in the hands of the midwives who serve this community every day.

When her daughter was born, she weighed just 2.1 kilograms—too small to regulate her own temperature. Within an hour, her body had grown dangerously cold, a medical emergency that claims the lives of far too many newborns in low-resource settings. Globally, about 2.3 million babies die within their first 28 days of life, many from preventable causes like neonatal hypothermia .

Before the Embrace incubator arrived, the hospital’s staff had little to offer babies like hers. Rolling power cuts meant the facility’s traditional equipment rarely functioned, and health workers often struggled to keep preterm infants warm with blankets alone. But on this day, warmth was finally within reach.

A midwife gently placed the tiny newborn into an Embrace portable incubator. Inside, the insulated BabyWrap and preheated WarmPak created a stable, life-saving 37°C environment—something that does not require continuous electricity to maintain . Slowly, the baby’s color returned. Her breathing steadied. Her temperature rose into the safe zone. And for the first time since giving birth, Tirhas could rest, holding her daughter with relief instead of fear.

“Before, we would struggle to keep these small babies warm with just blankets. This equipment gives us a reliable tool to fight hypothermia,” one of the hospital’s midwives shared.

Today, Tirhas’s daughter is growing stronger each day—a reminder that even in places still healing from conflict, hope can begin with warmth.

At Embrace Global, our mission is simple: to ensure no baby dies simply because they were born too small or too soon. Each Embrace incubator can be reused hundreds of times, protecting vulnerable newborns who might otherwise not survive their first night of life—especially in communities facing poverty, instability, and limited access to electricity .

Your support makes stories like this possible. Together, we can give every newborn—everywhere—the chance to survive and thrive.

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