The 2025 <\/span><\/b>edition of the NEST Partners Meeting, an event organized by the Chiesi Foundation to bring together healthcare professionals, global institutions and partner organizations committed to strengthening and implementing the<\/span> NEST \u2013 Neonatal Essentials for Survival and Thriving<\/span> model<\/span>,<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/b> took place in<\/span> Abidjan<\/span>, Ivory Coast<\/span><\/b>, from 7 to 10 July 2025.<\/p>\n Among the participants at the meeting were: <\/span>KOL, stakeholders and delegations<\/span><\/b> coming from different areas of <\/span>Francophone sub-Saharan Africa<\/span><\/b> and, in particular, representatives of the African hospitals partnering with the NEST Model, including:<\/span>H\u00f4pital Saint Jean de Dieu de Tangui\u00e9ta<\/span><\/i> and the <\/span>CHU-MEL<\/span><\/i> from Benin, the<\/span>H\u00f4pital Saint Camille de Ouagadougou<\/span><\/i> from Burkina Faso, the<\/span>H\u00f4pital de Ngozi <\/span><\/i>from Burundi, the <\/span>CHR d’Abobo<\/span><\/i> from Ivory Coast and the<\/span>H\u00f4pital d’Enfants Yendube<\/span><\/i> from Togo. <\/span>Of particular note was also the presence of <\/span>Prof. Solange Ouedraogo<\/span><\/b>, consultant of the NEST model in Burkina Faso and member of the NEST Technical Advisory Group, and of <\/span>Prof. Oura-Bagna Tchagbele<\/span><\/b>, consultant of the NEST model in Togo. <\/span><\/p>\n Now in its third edition, after the<\/span> 2023 meeting in Burundi<\/span><\/a> and the<\/span> 2024 meeting in Benin<\/span><\/a>, the meeting represented a moment of<\/span> reflection, learning and joint planning<\/span><\/b>, aimed at strengthening the quality and accessibility of<\/span> neonatal care in low-resource settings.<\/span><\/b>. A purpose in line with the <\/span>Sustainable Development Goals<\/span> of the United Nations 2030 Agenda<\/span><\/b><\/a>, in particular SDG<\/span> 3.2<\/span><\/b>, focused on reducing neonatal mortality, and SDG<\/span> 17<\/span><\/b> aimed at building effective partnerships.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> One of the pillars of this edition was the<\/span> strengthening of clinical skills<\/span><\/b> of participants through practical workshops, simulations and case studies. A concrete example came from the testimony of <\/span>Anna Cavestro<\/span><\/b>, representative of Doctors with Africa – <\/span>CUAMM<\/span> in Ivory Coast, and <\/span>Betti N’Gom<\/span><\/b>, pediatrician at the <\/span>Centre Hospitalier R\u00e9gional d’Abobo<\/span><\/i>, who illustrated the recent developments in the Ivorian context, including the activation of a <\/span>new neonatology at the CHR of Abobo <\/span><\/b> and of a <\/span>training program <\/span><\/b>created in collaboration with the <\/span>Italian Society of Neonatology<\/b><\/span><\/a> (SIN), and the <\/span>Programme National de Sant\u00e9 de la M\u00e8re et de l’Enfant (PNSME)<\/span><\/b>, with the involvement of three Italian neonatologists.<\/span><\/p>\n From this first joint experience the Neonatal Resuscitation Workshop was born. <\/b>P<\/span>resented during the NEST Partners Meeting<\/span> by expert neonatologists, including Dr. Paolo Villani, a member of the Italian Society of Neonatology, t<\/span>his <\/span>smaller version of the training implemented at the<\/span> CHR d’Abobo<\/span><\/i><\/b>, offered participants an immersive and hands-on experience, with<\/span> simulations of realistic clinical scenarios<\/span><\/b> designed to strengthen the operational skills of healthcare workers in limited-resource settings.<\/span><\/p>\n Another key session, led by the Foundation’s Technical Advisors,<\/span> Ousmane Ndiaye<\/span><\/b> and<\/span> Federico Bianco,<\/span><\/b> guided participants in the analysis of complex clinical cases, highlighting the challenges that can arise in the field\u2014from prenatal diagnosis to follow-up. In particular, the intervention of <\/span>Federico Bianco,<\/span><\/b> on the<\/span> Patient Journey<\/span><\/i>, which is the<\/span> care pathway of a mother at risk of premature birth<\/span><\/b>, offered a systemic perspective on the urgency of timely and integrated action, underlining how each step\u2014from prevention to care\u2014can make a difference in<\/span> safeguarding the health of mothers and newborns.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Another central theme that emerged from the meeting was the value of<\/span> family-centered healthcare.<\/span><\/b> The visit to <\/span>the national referral centre for Kangaroo Care (KC)<\/span><\/b> at the<\/span> Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Treichville<\/span><\/i><\/b> allowed participants to witness first-hand the daily activities of the staff in this department and to fully understand the importance of KC, a<\/span> sustainable, low-cost and high-impact method<\/span><\/b>, focused on skin-to-skin contact and aimed at reducing the mortality of premature, sick or low-birth-weight newborns.<\/span><\/p>\n During the visit and the dedicated round table, the participants explored the potential of this practice in<\/span> strengthening the bond between parents and newborns<\/span><\/b>, improving clinical outcomes and promoting the<\/span> active involvement of families<\/span><\/b> in the care process of the mother and her newborn. The contribution of the <\/span>Professor Ousmane Ndiaye,<\/span><\/b> Technical<\/span> Advisor of the Foundation,<\/span> further emphasized the key role of empathy, dialogue, and therapeutic relationships with families in neonatal care<\/span>.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n The<\/span> NEST Partners Meeting<\/span><\/b> also offered an important space for strategic discussion between institutional and international stakeholders. Wednesday was dedicated to the institutional meeting “<\/span>Sant\u00e9 Maternelle et N\u00e9onatale: Une Vision Commune pour l’Avenir<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d<\/span><\/i>, which<\/span> involved representatives of the <\/span>Ministry of Health of Ivory Coast<\/span><\/b> and organizations such as <\/span>WHO<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>UNICEF<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Doctors with Africa – CUAMM<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Gates Foundation and<\/span><\/b> Jhpiego.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\nPractical training and development of clinical skills<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
Family-centered care<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
Strategic vision and interinstitutional coordination<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n