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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Safe Births + Healthy Homes

(
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction43579
    Description
    Description
    Safe Births + Healthy Homes (SB+HH) is a maternal and infant health program serving vulnerable, rural communities in Uganda. Designed to sensitize attended births and improve maternal and infant health in rural off-grid communities with high maternal and child mortality rates, SB+HH (1) solar-electrifies rural health clinics, (2) provides training materials about the benefits of renewable lighting and energy access to staff and community health teams, and (3) donates solar lights for home use to all mother/baby pairs delivered at the electrified clinics to improve postpartum care and outcomes. The incentive of a solar light to mothers delivering at the solar-electrified clinics improves safety and health at home during the critical postpartum period, while the provision of electricity at the clinic improves overall care including delivery outcomes. Moreover, SB+HH and its component activities (i.e., solar light distribution, clinic electrification, community education, and advocacy) have demonstrated evidence of implementation success and impact through formal and informal evaluation.
    Expected Impact

    Providing mothers and babies with the tools and training they need to be healthy and safe improves a wide range of SDGs including SDG1, 3, 5, 7, 13. In vulnerable off-grid communities, even basic energy access continues to be predicated on market participation. When a new mother gives birth by the light of candle or tries to care for her infant by the light of a dangerous, polluting kerosene lamp, energy poverty becomes a predictor of birth complications and poor postpartum respiratory health. Health clinics require electricity to provide adequate and appropriate healthcare. However, many rural frontline health clinics in off-grid communities lack access to basic electrification for indoor, perimeter, staff quarters lighting and for powering computers, phones and microscopes. SB+HH provides basic solar-electrification systems to health clinics in the absence of government electrification projects. Furthermore, more than 90% of homes in many rural off-grid Ugandan communities lack access to electricity. When mothers are able to deliver at an electrified clinic, they often return home to unsafe lighting inputs like kerosene and candles where they and their infants are exposed to dangerous levels of black carbon (soot) and increased risks of respiratory infections. SB+HH donates safe solar lights to new mothers to improve the interlinked SDGs affecting, heatlh, safety, empowerment, and economic stability. LTBLI operates in the social safety net space where Sustainable Development Goal 7 intersects with SDG3, SDG5, SDG1, and SDG13. Although the impacts of energy access on health and safety are well established, lighting access remains tied to loans in last-mile communities. We argue against creating debt burdens for poor families while acknowledging that safe lighting promotes maternal and child health and wellbeing. New mothers who receive a solar light through SB+HH cite a range of benefits including reduced gender based violence and increased maternal/infant health, maternal empowerment and economic stability as primary benefits of SB+HH.

    Partners
    Solar Health Uganda (NGO), KACCAD (NGO), District Health Officer, Kyankwanzi, Uganda (Local/Regional Government)
    Quantify
    7,536 mother/baby pairs have delivered at 7 solar-electrified Safe Births + Healthy Homes sites (Health Center II facilities) in rural, off-grid Uganda.
    More than 40,000 people in the 7,536 homes now have some access to safe lighting.
    Approximately 239,000 people in the 7 catchment areas have been educated about the power of solar to improve the health and safety of the mothers, babies and entire households.
    Impacts include: an increase of 7% in attended birth rates in these communities; average cost of lighting18% prior to program participation and a follow-up solar usage rate of 97% with savings redirected to basic needs and productive use; 99.3% of mothers report that their homes are safer and improved health after eliminating kerosene and candles; 95.5% of mothers use their ITNs more often now that the risk of fire has been reduced.

    Goal 7

    Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

    Goal 7

    7.1

    By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

    7.1.1

    Proportion of population with access to electricity

    7.1.2

    Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology

    7.2

    By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
    7.2.1

    Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption

    7.3

    By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
    7.3.1

    Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP

    7.a

    By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology
    7.a.1

    International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems

    7.b

    By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

    7.b.1

    Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)

    Goal 5

    Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

    Goal 5

    5.1

    End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

    5.1.1

    Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex

    5.2

    Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation
    5.2.1

    Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age

    5.2.2

    Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

    5.3

    Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation
    5.3.1

    Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

    5.3.2

    Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age

    5.4

    Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

    5.4.1

    Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location

    5.5

    Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

    5.5.1

    Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments

    5.5.2

    Proportion of women in managerial positions

    5.6

    Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

    5.6.1

    Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

    5.6.2

    Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education

    5.a

    Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

    5.a.1

    (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

    5.a.2

    Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

    5.b

    Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
    5.b.1

    Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

    5.c

    Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

    5.c.1

    Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment

    Goal 1

    End poverty in all its forms everywhere

    Goal 1

    1.1

    By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

    1.1.1

    Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)

    1.2

    By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

    1.2.1

    Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age

    1.2.2

    Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

    1.3

    Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

    1.3.1

    Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable

    1.4

    By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

    1.4.1

    Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services

    1.4.2

    Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure

    1.5

    By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

    1.5.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    1.5.2

    Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP)

    1.5.3

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030

    1.5.4

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    1.a

    Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

    1.a.1

    Total official development assistance grants from all donors that focus on poverty reduction as a share of the recipient country's gross national income

    1.a.2

    Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection)

    1.b

    Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

    1.b.1

    Pro-poor public social spending

    Goal 3

    Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

    Goal 3

    3.1

    By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births
    3.1.1

    Maternal mortality ratio

    3.1.2

    Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel

    3.2

    By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births
    3.2.1

    Under-five mortality rate

    3.2.2

    Neonatal mortality rate

    3.3

    By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases

    3.3.1

    Number of new HIV infections per 1,000 uninfected population, by sex, age and key populations

    3.3.2

    Tuberculosis incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.3

    Malaria incidence per 1,000 population

    3.3.4

    Hepatitis B incidence per 100,000 population

    3.3.5

    Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases

    3.4

    By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being
    3.4.1

    Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease

    3.4.2

    Suicide mortality rate

    3.5

    Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol

    3.5.1

    Coverage of treatment interventions (pharmacological, psychosocial and rehabilitation and aftercare services) for substance use disorders

    3.5.2

    Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol

    3.6

    By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents
    3.6.1

    Death rate due to road traffic injuries

    3.7

    By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes

    3.7.1

    Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods

    3.7.2

    Adolescent birth rate (aged 10-14 years; aged 15-19 years) per 1,000 women in that age group

    3.8

    Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all

    3.8.1

    Coverage of essential health services

    3.8.2

    Proportion of population with large household expenditures on health as a share of total household expenditure or income

    3.9

    By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
    3.9.1

    Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution

    3.9.2

    Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene (exposure to unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All (WASH) services)

    3.9.3

    Mortality rate attributed to unintentional poisoning

    3.a

    Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
    3.a.1

    Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older

    3.b

    Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all

    3.b.1

    Proportion of the target population covered by all vaccines included in their national programme

    3.b.2
    Total net official development assistance to medical research and basic health sectors
    3.b.3

    Proportion of health facilities that have a core set of relevant essential medicines available and affordable on a sustainable basis

    3.c

    Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States
    3.c.1

    Health worker density and distribution

    3.d

    Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks

    3.d.1

    International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness

    3.d.2

    Percentage of bloodstream infections due to selected antimicrobial-resistant organisms

    Goal 13

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    Goal 13

    13.1

    Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

    13.1.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    13.1.2

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    13.1.3

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    13.2

    Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

    13.2.1

    Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    13.2.2

    Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

    13.3

    Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

    13.3.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    13.a

    Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

    13.a.1

    Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

    13.b

    Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities


     

    13.b.1

    Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    Name Description

    Solar-electrify 50 frontline rural and off-grid health clinics.

    Donate 10,000 solar lights to new mother/baby pairs for use at home.

    Financing (in USD)
    350000
    In-kind contribution
    75000
    Title Progress Status Submitted
    Partnership Progress 2020-12-18 On track
    False
    Action Network
    SDG Acceleration Actions
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    Timeline
    01 March 2019 (start date)
    31 December 2025 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Let There Be Light International
    SDGs
    7 5 1 3 13
    Region
    1. Africa
    Geographical coverage
    Buffalo, NY, USA
    Other beneficiaries
    Women and Children in low-resource, off-grid communities
    Countries
    Uganda
    Uganda
    Contact Information

    Sarah Baird, Executive Director