Saving mothers. Preventing orphans. Bringing hope.

Every two minutes a mother dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. She leaves behind her children - a newborn who is less likely to survive her first month and older children who will no longer have a mother.

Care by skilled health professionals before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborns. Yet access to prenatal and postnatal care is a dream that never comes to life for far too many women, particularly women in sub–Saharan Africa.

Delivering Hope International exists to serve pregnant women in low-resource countries who are subject to extreme poverty, lack of health care and education, gender inequality, and rural living. Through health education and community level support provided by our team of doulas, we empower communities to better care for their mothers and infants, ultimately saving mothers, preventing orphans, and bringing hope.

A woman smiling and holding a sleeping baby wrapped in a blanket, with other people seated in the background.

Delivering Hope was founded by four adoptive moms who met in Ethiopia. They were grieved that several of their children were orphaned as a result of unnecessary and preventable maternal death, while others had witnessed the heartbreaking death of younger siblings who could have survived birth with access to medical care and basic health education.

With this as their motivation, Delivering Hope International was born. Delivering Hope International empowers under resourced communities with the knowledge and skills needed to care for their mothers and children. Training and releasing community doulas to come alongside vulnerable mothers is a highly effective, low-cost way to improve maternal health, decrease maternal and child mortality, and bring love and hope to women who are overwhelmingly treated with a lack of respect and dignity. Through this innovative solution, mothers survive birth and are equipped to support their child during their most vulnerable first year of life and beyond.

“Women aren’t dying because of disease we can’t treat. They are dying because societies have yet to decide if their lives are worth saving.”
— Professor Mahmoud Fathalla

Our Story

Our Mission

A baby wrapped in a blue blanket and dressed in a floral onesie, sleeping in the arms of an adult, with part of the adult's patterned dress and beige jacket visible.

Delivering Hope International exists to bring hope, healing and compassion to those most vulnerable in our world. Compelled by Christ’s love, we improve maternal, newborn and child health, and promote family preservation and the prevention of orphans. 

A woman with dark skin and natural hair kneels next to an open fire with a large pan cooking on it inside a dimly lit room.

Where we work

Korah, Ethiopia—home to nearly 200,000 people located beside Addis Ababa’s garbage dump—faces some of the most extreme urban poverty in the world. Vulnerable women from around Ethiopia migrate here, with promises of survival and opportunity provided by the resource of the city dump. Yet limited clean water, unsafe housing, and scarce medical care make everyday life precarious, and for pregnant mothers, these conditions are especially dangerous. Many give birth without skilled assistance, face preventable complications, and lack the nutrition, sanitation, and support needed to protect themselves and their newborns.

Delivering Hope International partners with a local organization, Glimmer for All, to operate our maternal infant health program. DHI provides each woman with a doula and operates a center where women in the program come to eat breakfast, attend childbirth education classes, and receive biopsychosocial spiritual care. With access to skilled maternal healthcare, a mother can survive childbirth and gain the guidance and support she needs to care for her newborn during this most vulnerable time.

“The day a woman gives birth is the day she is most likely to die or be grievously injured.”

Kate Grant

Our Approach

DHI trains local laywomen to serve as Doulas and Childbirth Educators. Childbirth Educators and Doulas are passionate about caring for women and children and impacting their community with the love of Jesus.

These birth workers treat women with respect, compassion, and love, something all too rare for underrepresented women in our world. DHI equips CBEs and Doulas to improve maternal and newborn health by visiting pregnant and postpartum women in their homes, assessing their needs, identifying danger signs, and providing care until medical help can be reached.  As much as possible, our doulas also accompany women to clinic appointments and offer continuous emotional and physical support during labor and delivery, both advocating for the mother’s needs and offering help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, movement, and positioning.

A nurse is also employed to supervise our doulas and to support the medical needs of mothers through basic medical checkups and care. The team helps mother access the medical services available to them in their local area and to reduce barriers that keep mothers and infants from receiving lifesaving care.

Six women sitting on a bench in a room with blue walls, some wearing traditional clothing and head coverings. One woman is holding a baby, and another woman is reading a book. Two framed artworks are visible on the wall behind them.

Meet Our Team

  • A woman smiling and sitting on a colorful couch with green, yellow, red, and black cushions. She is wearing a light purple shirt with a logo that says 'Dreaming Hope' and a black turtleneck underneath. Behind her, there is a large green plant and a gray wall.

    Ruth

    In Country Director

  • A young woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a lavender polo shirt with a logo, sitting in front of colorful cushions and a large green plant in the background.

    Tihitina

    Nurse Manager

  • Woman sitting on colorful, furry cushions with a grey wall and green plant in background.

    Genet

    Doula/ CBE

  • Smiling woman sitting on a wooden bench with large green plant and window behind her, wearing a light purple polo shirt with logo and gray pants.

    Beti

    Doula/ CBE

  • A woman with short hair, wearing earrings and a light purple polo shirt with a logo and text that reads 'Delivering Hope International.' She is smiling and sitting with her arms crossed, in front of green plants and a gray wall.

    Medi

    Doula/ CBE

  • A woman smiling, wearing a light purple polo shirt with a logo, sitting with her arms crossed in front of a large green plant.

    Enat

    Lactation Consultant/ Cook

  • A woman smiling, wearing a light purple polo shirt with a logo and the words 'Delivering Hope International,' sitting in front of green leafy plants and a gray background.

    Yftu

    Cook

  • Young woman with dark hair in a braid, wearing a black embroidered top and a necklace with red and turquoise beads, standing outdoors against a textured wall.

    Rahel

    Cashier/ Purchaser

  • A man wearing a blue baseball cap and a light blue striped button-up shirt standing indoors with a slight smile.

    Shebilow

    Guard

  • A woman with blonde hair smiling, wearing a white dress with gold stripes and a matching scarf, standing against a blurred pinkish background.

    Liz

    Executive Director

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A young boy in a blue jacket holding a colorful toy, standing indoors with two women in the background, one wearing a patterned dress and headscarf and the other in a light-colored blouse with a head covering.
Two women sitting close together in a tent with blue fabric walls, smiling at the camera. The woman on the left is wearing a floral dress and a bright green headscarf. The woman on the right is wearing a white polo shirt with a logo that reads "Delivering Hope International".
A woman holding a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket inside a room with a window and yellow curtains.
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A pregnant woman standing in a room with a gray wall and green plant behind her, smiling at the camera with a yellow scarf around her shoulders, wearing a floral dress.
Woman cooking food over an open flame stove inside a rustic, wooden structure with sunlight filtering through gaps in the walls.
A woman holding a baby and looking at the baby affectionately indoors near a window with orange blinds.
A group of women with dark skin gathered indoors. One woman in a colorful headscarf and patterned skirt is pouring a beverage into a cup held by another woman in a red and blue head covering. The scene suggests a social or celebratory setting.
A young girl with braided hair and a serious expression, wearing a colorful floral top and a necklace with a cross pendant, in a room with other people and household items in the background.
A healthcare worker using a handheld ultrasound device on a patient lying in a hospital bed.
A woman wearing a blue dress and a face mask, cooking over a stove, with sliced carrots on a cutting board nearby and another woman in the background inside a kitchen.
Two women holding a newborn baby wrapped in a blue and white blanket, smiling and looking at the baby.
Young woman holding a smiling baby wrapped in a blanket, with a second woman facing them, in an indoor setting.
Woman in colorful headwrap pouring water into a pink cup during a gathering with children and women, some wearing traditional attire and headscarves, in a room with plain white walls.
A group of women and children seated in a room, with two women holding babies and one woman reading a book, while a young boy plays with a toy in the foreground.
Group of nine women standing in front of a dark blue wall, smiling, some with hands on each other's shoulders, wearing casual clothing and uniforms.
A woman holding a baby and smiling, inside a simple shelter with blue tarps. Another woman is sitting nearby, also smiling, wearing a light purple shirt, surrounded by household items like a green basin and a large blue container.
A smiling woman with dark skin wearing a colorful blue patterned head wrap and a pink and gray striped shirt against a dark background.
A group of people, including children and adults, gathered around a table sharing a meal in a room with yellow curtains. The children are eating and the adults are engaging with the children, some holding plates and food.
A woman sitting on a wooden bench holding a baby wrapped in a blanket and wearing a hood, near a window in a room with gray walls and colorful cushions.