The Ifakara Health Institute, through the SNIP-AFRICA project, has conducted two workshops aimed at exploring the challenges that hinder the formation, sustainability and utilization of parental support groups in improving newborn care and research.

Meaningful engagement of parents and caregivers, especially those with lived experiences of newborn health challenges, is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for improving care, shaping research priorities, and ensuring that interventions respond to real community needs.

The first workshop, held on December 5, 2025, at the Ifakara offices in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam, convened representatives from several parents’ support groups, including the Tanzania Preterm Family Network under the Doris Mollel Foundation, the Preterm Babies Organization Tanzania, breastfeeding champion mothers under JJ Breastfeeding, and individual parents with firsthand experience caring for newborns with complications. They were joined by neonatal healthcare workers, researchers, and community engagement specialists.

The workshop was officiated by Dr. Ally Olotu, Ifakara’s Director of Science, who emphasized the importance of engaging parents in designing and executing research that involve neonates, as well as in improving neonatal care.

Echoing this point, Dr. Theopista Jacob, President of the Pediatric Association of Tanzania, underscored that achieving the global SDG target of reducing neonatal deaths to at least 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030 requires active engagement of parents.

Discussions during the session covered the current state of parents’ support groups in Tanzania, the challenges they face in forming and sustaining parents’ support groups and co-creation of recommendations on effective utilization of parents’ support groups in improving neonatal care and designing research.

A follow-up workshop held on December 8, 2025, engaged Ward Health Representatives from 16 wards within the Ifakara Town Council, along with the Council Health Management Team. This session focused on exploring the contextual barriers to forming and sustaining Parents’ support groups in resource limited settings.

The SNIP-AFRICA team, led by Dr. Getrud Mollel, Project Leader, noted that the feedback from both workshops will be used to shape intentional and meaningful engagement of parents with lived experiences in conducting neonatal research and improving neonatal care at large

SNIP-AFRICA, implemented by Ifakara Health Institute in collaboration with national and international partners, focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of neonatal sepsis, a leading cause of newborn deaths.