Run the Milan Marathon with Paolo Chiesi Foundation and Help Improve Newborn Health in Burkina Faso
Across sub-Saharan Africa, neonatal mortality remains among the highest in the world. Every year, around 800,000 babies die during their first month of life, despite the fact that many of these deaths could be prevented through simple, low-cost healthcare interventions.
In Burkina Faso, maternal and child mortality rates are still a significant challenge. An estimated 25 newborns die for every 1,000 live births, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen neonatal care services and support vulnerable mothers and babies.
Improving Newborn Care in Burkina Faso
Since 2010, Paolo Chiesi Foundation has partnered with Hôpital Saint Camille de Ouagadougou (HOSCO), a hospital managed by the Camillian Fathers, to strengthen neonatal care through ongoing strategic, technical, and training support.
The partnership focuses on improving the quality of care for premature and critically ill newborns, helping local healthcare professionals adopt effective, evidence-based practices that are both sustainable and appropriate for the local context.
In 2020, with the support of Paolo Chiesi Foundation, the Réseau de Périnatologie de la Région du Centre (RPRC) was established and expanded. Today, the network brings together 13 healthcare facilities, including major hospitals and maternity centers across Ouagadougou, alongside national and international health institutions.
The network works to improve referral pathways for critically ill newborns, promote shared clinical protocols, and strengthen healthcare professionals’ skills through joint training programs, ultimately improving neonatal care across the region.
Join Us at the Milan Marathon
In 2027, Paolo Chiesi Foundation will take part in the Milan Marathon to raise funds for this project, and we would love your support.
Together, we aim to reduce neonatal mortality in our partner healthcare facilities and improve care for premature, low-birth-weight, and sick newborns in neonatal wards and Kangaroo Care Units, where babies benefit from continuous skin-to-skin contact with their mother or father, an approach proven to improve survival and health outcomes.
The funds raised will help us:
1) Improve essential newborn care to reduce deaths related to prematurity and infections.
2) Strengthen the management of newborns with respiratory complications and neonatal jaundice.
3) Build and reinforce a network of collaboration between hospitals and healthcare centers across the Ouagadougou area to improve care for mothers and newborns.
How You Can Help
There are several ways to make a difference:
1) Join our relay team at the Milan Marathon on 4 April 2027.
2) Support the project with a donation.
3) Encourage your friends, family members, and colleagues to support the initiative as well.
Every contribution, large or small, helps give more newborns the chance to survive and thrive.
About Paolo Chiesi Foundation
Paolo Chiesi Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded by Paolo Chiesi and his family, driven by the belief that everyone should have access to quality healthcare and the opportunity to live a healthy life.
The Foundation supports locally led development programs that strengthen healthcare systems, transfer medical and scientific knowledge, expand access to quality care, and empower families and communities to play an active role in their own health.
Its programs focus on reducing neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and improving the health and quality of life of people living with chronic respiratory diseases across the Global South.
Founded in Parma in 2005 and operational since 2010, the Foundation currently works in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guyana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nepal, Peru, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.
Learn More
To find out more about the project and the work of Paolo Chiesi Foundation, visit: www.paolochiesifoundation.org






