WHO honours Doris Mollel Foundation as Tanzania's maternal health gains global recognition

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The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has presented an award to the Doris Mollel Foundation, received by its Executive Director, Ms Doris Mollel, in recognition of its leadership and outstanding contribution to improving the health and well-being of mothers and newborns globally, particularly in Tanzania.

The award ceremony took place at WHO headquarters in Geneva, where Dr Tedros commended the foundation for its tireless efforts in advancing neonatal care. He noted that its work has had a significant impact both nationally and internationally.

Highlighting recent achievements, Dr Tedros said that through the foundation's efforts, a specialised Neonatal Care Unit was inaugurated last month at Kwimba District Hospital in Mwanza Region.

The facility adopts a "zero-separation" model—allowing mothers and newborns to remain together—and has the capacity to serve 42 infants at a time. It also includes dedicated spaces for mothers and designated visiting areas for fathers.

In addition, the foundation's advocacy has contributed to key policy reforms in Tanzania, including extended parental leave for parents of premature babies, expanded health insurance coverage for preterm infants, and the integration of prematurity care into educational curricula.

The foundation also leads the Tanzania Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Coalition.

At the global level, it has continued to be a strong voice in ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.

The foundation was among key champions of the formal recognition of World Prematurity Day by the World Health Assembly last year as an important international observance under WHO.

Dr Tedros expressed his gratitude to the Doris Mollel Foundation for its dedication, compassion and strong leadership in advancing the health of women and children worldwide.