LittleBigSouls International Charitable Foundation, The Voice For The Premature Baby Born In Africa has announced World Prematurity Day 2016 across Africa and globally as the Founding Partner/ Co-Creator of World Prematurity Day, marking this year as its 7th Annual World Prematurity Day and making a strong impact in care and survival of babies affected by pre-term birth.
LittleBigSouls represents the African continent within the World Prematurity Network and works to make a vital impact in care and survival rates of babies born pre-term on the continent. From inception LittleBigSouls has utilized its Every Breath Counts campaign to highlight the struggle in the fight against Pre-term Birth.
This year LittleBigSouls made an excellent impact a few weeks ago with the South Africa launch of its Preemie & Me Conference and Symposium series, which was held in Port Elizabeth in South Africa serving as a multi-disciplinary forum for clinicians and parents affected by Pre-term Birth. With a fantastic line up of National and International Speakers the symposium was a huge success and the start of the series of events counting down to World Prematurity Day for LittleBigSouls.
LittleBigSouls will also be making a vital donation of an incubator through the vital Partnership with Natus to a chosen hospital on the African Continent which will make this its tenth piece of vital equipment donated. This follows its most recent invaluable equipment donation last year to a beneficiary Hospital in Port Elizabeth. LittleBigSouls will also continue with the Global Purple Light Up Campaign which sees buildings lit up in Purple in honour of the 1 million precious lives lost.
The group is also thrilled with the impact it has made in the detection and treatment of jaundice with its Equipment Donation & Jaundice Program where non-invasive Jaundice meters have helped in eliminating the painful invasive procedures where utilized.
Detecting Jaundice
Jaundice occurs in over 60% of newborn and especially affects pre-term babies who may have immature livers and other existing underlying problems, and may not be easily visible on a baby’s skin until levels are exceedingly high. Thus early detection and treatment is vital to prevent complications such as brain damage.
LittleBigSouls is especially pleased to announce that each year we will be celebrating a LittleBigSouls Hero as a story of Hope and Triumph over the odds to celebrate the little miracles that have excelled above the odds. This year we are honored to have had the chance to meet and choose a beautiful family from South Africa, the Tiry Family with Twins Kauther and Kathier Tiry who serve as a wonderful story of triumph and joy in the midst of the real difficulties faced with a pre-term birth. Born weigh 3.1 and 2.7 kilograms respectively, theirs is a remarkably wonderful story of hope and joy to be celebrated globally and to serve as a beautiful reminder of what we aim for in more homes with their photographs beautifully captured by Suzanne Du-Toit of Pinwheel Pics.
Thus across Africa on world Prematurity Day, and throughout Europe, the USA, Australia and China, professionals, families and the private and public sector as a whole will be simultaneously joining hands with LittleBigSouls to honor the 15 million babies that are born each year prematurely.
“In recognizing the exponential growth and success of World Prematurity Day, we as a global community must continue to recognize that there is more to be done to truly address the crisis that is by Pre-term Birth” says Chief Mrs Yvonne Igweh CEO/Founder.
A baby dies every second across the globe due to pre-term birth with 15 million born each year. There are sons and daughters, nieces, siblings and grandchildren who serve as the true reflections of the statistics.
