Inteleos Foundation launches 2026 MedMissions Award in five African countries to improve maternal healthcare access

AFRICA—The Inteleos Foundation has announced five recipients of its 2026 MedMissions Award, channeling support toward maternal health ultrasound initiatives across Malawi, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Now in its eighth year, the award tackles one of global health’s most pressing challenges: nearly 5 billion people currently lack access to medical imaging services.

By advancing locally led nonprofit initiatives, the foundation builds evidence and partnerships that are essential to making ultrasound accessible to all communities, regardless of geography or economic resources.

The selected organizations bring diverse expertise and deep community roots to their respective regions.

Each nonprofit will deploy targeted interventions designed to expand point-of-care ultrasound training, strengthen referral networks, and improve outcomes for high-risk pregnancies in resource-limited settings.

Five organizations leading regional initiatives

GAIA Global Health will expand access to quality obstetric ultrasound services in rural Malawi, enabling safer pregnancies and deliveries for vulnerable populations.

Meanwhile, Seed Global Health focuses on strengthening maternal and newborn care across Sierra Leone by expanding point-of-care ultrasound training and services within health facilities.

In Kenya, Kenyatta University deploys ultrasound technology to improve early detection and referral systems for high-risk pregnancies in remote informal settlements across Nairobi County.

The university’s approach emphasizes reaching populations often overlooked by traditional healthcare infrastructure.

Babies and Mothers Alive Foundation operates in Uganda’s Greater Masaka region, where it integrates point-of-care ultrasound into routine antenatal care practices.

This integration strengthens the quality of obstetric services at the facility level while building sustainable local capacity.

In Côte d’Ivoire, Muso enhances ultrasound capabilities among frontline health providers, directly improving obstetric and perinatal outcomes in underserved communities.

Building sustainable healthcare systems

The MedMissions Award establishes a consortium bringing together health-focused organizations and local Ministries of Health to advance point-of-care ultrasound training and referral pathways.

This collaborative model ensures frontline health workers receive proper training while strengthening connections between remote communities and national healthcare systems.

Selected awardees employ outcomes-based evaluation methods to measure patient health outcomes, ultrasound utilization rates, and community adoption levels.

This evidence-gathering approach serves a dual purpose: it demonstrates impact while generating data that informs policy decisions at the national level.

Through these partnerships, field-level evidence translates into lasting policy change, long-term workforce development, and deeper health system integration.

The foundation’s investments establish critical infrastructure and replicable education models that can scale across regions and countries.

By supporting locally driven solutions rather than imposing external frameworks, the Inteleos Foundation recognizes that sustainable healthcare advancement requires community ownership and adaptation to local contexts.

These five initiatives represent a commitment to equitable healthcare access, positioning ultrasound as a fundamental service available to pregnant women and their providers across Sub-Saharan Africa.