A Healthy Start for Burkina Faso
WHY RUNNING FOR THE PAOLO CHIESI FOUNDATION
Because every newborn, despite their place of birth, has the right to appropriate care and a healthy start in life. Because children’s health is built through the training of healthcare professionals and collaboration between hospitals. And because every kilometer covered can translate into tangible support for those who work every day to save lives.
In sub-Saharan Africa, neonatal mortality remains among the highest in the world: around 800,000 newborns die every year, largely from causes that could be prevented through simple and accessible healthcare interventions. In Burkina Faso, the neonatal mortality rate is approximately 25 deaths per 1,000 live births.
THE PROJECT IN BURKINA FASO
Since 2010, the Paolo Chiesi Foundation has supported the Hôpital Saint Camille de Ouagadougou (HOSCO), managed by the Camillian Fathers, through ongoing strategic, technical, and training support aimed at strengthening the neonatology department and improving the quality of care provided to premature and ill newborns.
Since 2020, the Foundation has also supported the Réseau de Périnatologie de la Région du Centre (RPRC), a network coordinating 13 healthcare facilities in the city of Ouagadougou. It aims to strengthen the referral system for critically ill newborns, encourage the adoption of shared protocols, and promote joint training for healthcare professionals at the regional level.
2027 FUNDRAISING GOALS
With the funds raised through the Milano Marathon, the Paolo Chiesi Foundation aims to help:
- reduce mortality associated with prematurity and infections
- improve the care of newborns with respiratory complications or jaundice
- strengthen collaboration between hospitals and healthcare centers in the Ouagadougou area, for the benefit of mothers and newborns.
#Run4NeonatalHealth
RUN WITH US
Choose the Paolo Chiesi Foundation and take part in the Marathon or the Relay Marathon at the Milano Marathon 2027, involve friends and colleagues, and create your own fundraiser.
Every registration, every donation, and every kilometer covered makes a tangible contribution to the health of newborns in Burkina Faso.
