Help Premature Babies Take Their First Breath

ZDOROVI continues to develop the initiative “Help Premature Babies Take Their First Breath” as part of the First Breath advocacy project. During March–June 2026, we implemented a range of activities, including: a workshop titled “Infection Control Architecture and Modern Hygiene Protocols,” which brought together more than 200 healthcare professionals to address a practical question: how to minimize risks to newborns through effective infection control in perinatal centers;

procuring critically important medications and equipment for Ukrainian perinatal centers using donor funding received outside of the GlobalGiving “Help Premature Babies Take Their First Breath” campaign;

showcasing the photo exhibition “The First Days of a Premature Baby’s Life Through Their Own Eyes” at hospitals and neonatal care-related events;

raising awareness about the challenges of premature baby care on various sector-specific platforms, including the annual medical and scientific congress Prime Pediatrics 2026, organized by the Ukrainian Academy of Pediatric Specialties (UAPS).

No procurements were conducted in 2026 within the framework of the fundraising campaign “Help Premature Babies Take Their First Breath” due to the insufficient amount of funds raised through the campaign.

Links:

• project page

In the fall of 2025, the ZDOROVI Charity Foundation launched a fundraising campaign on the GlobalGiving platform dedicated to the Ukrainian advocacy project “First Breath” — a perinatal support program initiated by ZDOROVI.

The overarching goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian perinatal centers to provide high-quality medical care to premature babies. In addition, we are working to build public demand for prioritizing neonatal care in national health policy.

As part of this long-term program, we launched a campaign on GlobalGiving titled “Help Premature Babies Take Their First Breath.”

Through this fundraising campaign, we aim to purchase 150 doses of surfactant (Curosurf), a critically important medication used in neonatal intensive care units to treat and prevent respiratory distress syndrome in newborns, especially premature infants.

As of February 26, 2026, we have received 11 donations and raised $268. These funds are being accumulated in a dedicated organizational account until the minimum procurement amount is reached.

In total, in 2025, within the framework of the First Breath program and with the support of GlobalGiving, ZDOROVI has already purchased and delivered 200 bottles of Curosurf to nine frontline Ukrainian healthcare facilities providing neonatal care to premature babies in the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Sumy regions.

During times of war, humanitarian crises, and ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian hospitals urgently need international support.  We sincerely hope that our continued cooperation with GlobalGiving will create more opportunities to provide this life-saving assistance to the smallest and most vulnerable patients.

Links:

• Details of the "First Breath" program