The country
Togo is a narrow strip of land in West Africa, wedged between Ghana and Benin: 56 kilometres of coastline on the Gulf of Guinea and some 600 kilometres stretching north to the border with Burkina Faso. The climate becomes progressively less humid from the south towards the savannahs of the north, and the land is crossed by hills and plateaus. The capital, Lomé, lies on the coast, and its deep-water port is also a trade hub for the countries of the Sahel. Phosphates are the leading export, while agriculture employs about a third of workers and most employment remains informal. Between 2021 and 2023 the economy grew by an average of 6% a year, and extreme poverty is slowly declining, but it still affects about a quarter of the population, with wide gaps between urban and rural areas.
With around 9.5 million inhabitants, Togo has a young population: about 40% are under 15, and women have on average about four children. Just over four in ten people live in cities. Life expectancy at birth is about 62 years for men and 66 for women.
Independent since 1960, Togo adopted a new constitution in 2024 that changed its system of government from presidential to parliamentary. Since May 2025 the government has been led by the President of the Council of Ministers, while the President of the Republic holds a representative role. The northern Savanes region, bordering Burkina Faso, is exposed to incursions by armed groups active in the Sahel: a state of emergency is in force there, and the region hosts thousands of refugees from Burkina Faso.
To improve maternal and newborn health, in 2021 the government launched the Wezou (“life”) programme, which reduces the cost of care for pregnant women and newborns. However, the health system suffers from a severe shortage of staff: according to UNFPA, there are only two midwives for every 10,000 people in the country. Neonatal mortality stands at 23 deaths per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality at 349 per 100,000. Alongside national efforts, the Foundation contributes through the NEST Model (Neonatal Essentials for Survival and Thriving), improving the quality of care for the most vulnerable newborns.
(Sources: UN IGME; WHO; UNDP, Human Development Report 2025; UNFPA; World Bank)
Togo in numbers
Togo in numbers
Our intervention
In 2018, the Paolo Chiesi Foundation started a collaboration with the Hôpital d’Enfants Yendube (HEY) in Dapaong, in northern Togo, with the aim of strengthening the quality of neonatal care and improving the care of vulnerable newborns in the Savannah Region.
Yendube Children’s Hospital is a referral pediatric center for children aged 0 to 10 years and plays a key role in managing the region’s major pediatric and neonatal conditions. The partnership with the Foundation focuses on strengthening the neonatal care model through an integrated approach involving healthcare professionals, families, and the community.
A central element of the intervention is the continuous strengthening of the skills of healthcare personnel, through theoretical and practical training activities carried out in collaboration with national and international experts, with the aim of improving the management of premature infants, low birth weight newborns and complex neonatal cases, promoting the application of essential neonatal care and Family-Centered Care practices, including Kangaroo Care.
At the same time, the Foundation and the Hospital support the active involvement of families in newborn care through communication and awareness-raising activities aimed at mothers and caregivers. The goal is to strengthen families’ knowledge of breastfeeding, Kangaroo Care, and the early recognition of danger signs, encouraging greater participation in newborn care during hospitalization and after discharge.
The collaboration also aims to structure a system of follow-up for discharged newborns and home visits, to ensure continuity of care, monitor the growth and development of the most vulnerable newborns and support families even after they return home.
Another strategic area of intervention involves the creation of a local perinatal network. Since the Hôpital d’Enfants Yendube does not have a maternity ward, all newborns admitted to the neonatology ward are outborn—that is, born outside the hospital and subsequently transferred to the facility for specialized care. This often results in their arrival in critical condition, impacting their chances of recovery. For this reason, the Foundation and the Hospital are working with local institutions to develop a collaborative network between local healthcare facilities, improving the early identification of at-risk newborns, timely transfer, and liaising between birth and neonatal care services.
Our intervention
In 2018, the Paolo Chiesi Foundation started a collaboration with the Hôpital d’Enfants Yendube (HEY) in Dapaong, in northern Togo, with the aim of strengthening the quality of neonatal care and improving the care of vulnerable newborns in the Savannah Region.
Yendube Children’s Hospital is a referral pediatric center for children aged 0 to 10 years and plays a key role in managing the region’s major pediatric and neonatal conditions. The partnership with the Foundation focuses on strengthening the neonatal care model through an integrated approach involving healthcare professionals, families, and the community.
A central element of the intervention is the continuous strengthening of the skills of healthcare personnel, through theoretical and practical training activities carried out in collaboration with national and international experts, with the aim of improving the management of premature infants, low birth weight newborns and complex neonatal cases, promoting the application of essential neonatal care and Family-Centered Care practices, including Kangaroo Care.
At the same time, the Foundation and the Hospital support the active involvement of families in newborn care through communication and awareness-raising activities aimed at mothers and caregivers. The goal is to strengthen families’ knowledge of breastfeeding, Kangaroo Care, and the early recognition of danger signs, encouraging greater participation in newborn care during hospitalization and after discharge.
The collaboration also aims to structure a system of follow-up for discharged newborns and home visits, to ensure continuity of care, monitor the growth and development of the most vulnerable newborns and support families even after they return home.
Another strategic area of intervention involves the creation of a local perinatal network. Since the Hôpital d’Enfants Yendube does not have a maternity ward, all newborns admitted to the neonatology ward are outborn—that is, born outside the hospital and subsequently transferred to the facility for specialized care. This often results in their arrival in critical condition, impacting their chances of recovery. For this reason, the Foundation and the Hospital are working with local institutions to develop a collaborative network between local healthcare facilities, improving the early identification of at-risk newborns, timely transfer, and liaising between birth and neonatal care services.
Our main activities in Togo
Training and mentoring of health workers to strengthen their capacity in managing essential neonatal care and vulnerable newborns
Promotion of Family-Centered Care and Kangaroo Care, through the active involvement of families in newborn care
Development of a system of follow-up and home visits to ensure continuity of care after discharge and to support families throughout their child’s growth
Creation of a territorial perinatal network to improve coordination between healthcare facilities, promote early identification of at-risk newborns and ensure timely transfers to neonatology
We also work in
