A Voice for Newborns and Their Families. A Force for Sustainable Impact.
Advocacy • Research • Quality & Standards of Care • Family Support • Multisector Partnerships
Who We Are
Trusted Advocacy. Evidence-Informed Action. Better Care for Newborns and Families.
The African Foundation for Premature Babies and Neonatal Care (AFPNC) is a Ghana-based, internationally recognized maternal and newborn health nonprofit working to improve outcomes for newborns and their families. Our work places particular focus on babies born preterm, small, or sick, while recognizing that every newborn’s wellbeing is closely connected to the support, information, and care available to their family.
Founded in 2015 from lived experience, AFPNC has grown into a trusted patient-led platform connecting family voice with advocacy, research, quality improvement and strategic partnerships. We work to strengthen maternal and newborn health systems in Ghana and beyond, turning lived realities into practical action and sustainable impact.
AFPNC works through a multisectoral approach. We collaborate with researchers, health professionals and clinicians, parents and patients, government institutions, policymakers, professional associations, academia, civil society, faith-based organizations, media, development partners, private-sector organizations, opinion leaders and other relevant stakeholders.
What sets AFPNC apart is our ability to connect the lived experience of families with research, clinical expertise, public policy and community action. We bring people and institutions together around a shared goal: safer, higher-quality care and a stronger start for every newborn and family.
Our Vision
To ensure the best possible start in life for every newborn and stronger support for the families who care for them, wherever they may be in Africa.
Our Mission
To address the challenges affecting maternal and newborn health, including preterm birth and the care of small and sick newborns, through sustainable, evidence-informed interventions developed with families and relevant stakeholders in Africa and beyond.
In 2015, founder Selina Bentoom delivered her son, King Luther, extremely early. He weighed only 1.4 kg.
He faced serious complications, including a prolonged stay in neonatal intensive care. Today, King Luther is a healthy, thriving, and award-winning middle-school student. His survival transformed Selina’s experience of fear and uncertainty into a lasting commitment to make the journey better for other newborns and their families.
A Decade of Reach, Leadership and Influence
At a glance.
Recognition
International: EFCNI Award
AFPNC became the first African organization to receive the prestigious EFCNI Award in 2019, recognizing its contribution to newborn health advocacy, parent engagement, and international collaboration.
National: 40 Under 40 Award
AFPNC has also received national recognition through the 40 Under 40 Awards (2026), Community Development category.
Impact Beyond Numbers
- Sustained World Prematurity Day advocacy from 2015 to 2025.
- Direct family support and parent/patient engagement.
- Health-facility and quality-of-care interventions.
- Research participation and parent representation in evidence generation.
- National policy engagement, including NICU financing and NHIS advocacy.
- A strong Ghanaian, African and international stakeholder network.
Where our work has reached
Eight regions of Ghana, and partners in South Africa, Malawi and Germany. Select a place on the map to see what AFPNC has done there.
What We Do
Five Connected Areas of Work
Each one reinforces the others: evidence strengthens advocacy, family experience helps shape research and policy, quality improvement supports better care, and strong partnerships help good ideas reach more people and last longer.
Advocacy & Awareness
Public education, media, policy engagement, campaigns and patient storytelling that keep maternal and newborn health visible.
Research & Evidence
Lived experience meaningfully included in research, evidence generation, outcome development and health-system learning.
Advancing Quality & Standards of Care
Quality improvement, health-professional learning, safer care environments, NICU support and standards-of-care dialogue.
Family Support & Patient Engagement
Practical interventions, parent networks, education, psychosocial support and patient representation.
Strengthening Stakeholder Partnerships
Multisectoral collaboration across government, health professionals, researchers, families, faith, media and the private sector.
Purple Basket Project
Encouraging early care. Easing the family burden. Giving vulnerable newborns a stronger start.
AFPNC’s flagship family-support intervention uses meaningful mother-and-baby support to encourage timely care, reduce pressure on families and help mothers and newborns remain connected to essential services from pregnancy through NICU care and post-discharge follow-up.
.jpg)
Purple for Prematurity Summit
From awareness to policy. From policy to sustainable change.
Following the 2nd Summit and a nationally televised JoyNews dialogue that reached more than 100,000 viewers, AFPNC was invited to Parliament’s Select Committee on Health during the 2026 budget deliberations.
The 3rd Summit, focused on follow-up and continuing care, is scheduled for 11 November 2026.
Purple for Prematurity SummitPreterms can survive. Let them thrive.
AFPNC’s rallying cry. World Prematurity Day advocacy has been sustained every year from 2015 to 2025.
Explore our work
Our Work
Five connected areas, from advocacy and research to quality of care, family support and partnerships.
Our WorkPurple for Prematurity Summit
AFPNC’s flagship national advocacy platform for premature, small and sick newborns and their families.
The SummitPurple Basket Project
Practical mother-and-baby support that encourages early care and eases the family burden.
Purple BasketPartners & Network
Purposeful collaboration that brings complementary expertise, reach and influence to maternal and newborn health.
Partners & NetworkEvery newborn matters. Every family deserves to be heard. And every partnership should help create sustainable change.AFPNC
Every newborn matters. Every family deserves to be heard.
Donate, volunteer or partner with AFPNC to help create sustainable change for newborns and their families.