Angel Care Foundation Launches Blanket Initiative in Sierra Leone, Distributes 500 Blankets to Four Hospitals

The Angel Care Foundation has officially launched its Angel Blanket Initiative in Sierra Leone, making the country the second to benefit from the programme following its launch in Accra, Ghana. The initiative aims to support newborn care and promote maternal and child health across Africa, with a target of reaching one million newborns over the next five years.

As part of the launch held on Thursday, 22 October 2026, at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, the Foundation distributed 500 blankets to four major health facilities: King Harman Road Maternal and Children’s Hospital, Ola During Children’s Hospital, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) and the 34 Military Hospital in Freetown.

The initiative provides newborns with soft, 100% cotton blankets while equipping mothers with essential information on newborn care, danger signs and postnatal health. Through collaboration with healthcare facilities and local partners, the Foundation seeks to promote maternal and newborn wellbeing and ensure every baby receives a dignified start in life.

Speaking at the launch, founder of the Angel Care Foundation, Dr Olivia Tchangue, said the initiative was inspired by her personal experience of witnessing the challenges mothers face when they lack basic items for their newborns.

She recalled an incident involving her younger brother in Cameroon, when her mother was unconscious after childbirth and a woman had to provide cloth to wrap the baby. Years later, when she gave birth to her first son in Maryland, United States, a nurse wrapped him in a blanket, making her feel cared for.

“I had been the girl who went looking for something to have the baby in. Now I was the mother who was saved,” she said.

Dr Olivia Tchangue explained that the Foundation’s work extends beyond distributing blankets to supporting families through counselling, school supplies, family assistance and other community-based services. She described the initiative as a partnership with local communities rather than an outside charity programme.

She said more than 2,030 blankets had already been distributed in Ghana, with Sierra Leone becoming the second country to benefit and Nigeria scheduled to follow. The Foundation aims to reach one million newborns across Africa over the next five years.

“Today, we are launching in Sierra Leone. In four days, we will launch in Nigeria. And our goal is to reach one million newborns over the course of the next five years,” she said.

Speaker also at the launch, Dr. Linda Pharma Grant highlighted the challenges healthcare workers encounter when mothers arrive at hospitals without essential items for their newborns. She recalled instances in which families could not afford baby clothes or were uncertain whether their babies would survive, prompting nurses to contribute clothing from their own homes.

She said the initiative complemented the Government’s efforts to prevent maternal and child deaths and address the problem of zero-dose children. She also stressed the need to extend support to rural and remote communities where families may face greater difficulties accessing essential services.

In her statement, Deputy Minister of Finance I, Kadiatu Allie, said the initiative reflects the importance of supporting vulnerable families and ensuring that children receive care from the moment they are born.

“For a mother who has just given birth and is struggling to provide the basic necessities for her child that blanket represents much more. It represents care, reassurance and the comforting knowledge that she is not alone,” she said.

She added that national development should include the wellbeing of vulnerable citizens and welcomed the Foundation’s contribution to the Government’s efforts to improve maternal and child health.

In her keynote address, Deputy Minister of Health II, Dr Jalikatu Mustapha, said the initiative was timely because mothers need practical support during the postnatal period, when recovery and bonding with their babies should be their priority.

Drawing on her experience as a mother of a five-month-old baby, she said mothers should not have to worry about obtaining basic necessities for their newborns.

“A simple thing like a blanket can make a world of difference,” she said.

Dr Jalikatu Mustapha linked the initiative to the Ministry of Health’s 300 Days of Activism campaign, which seeks to reduce preventable maternal and child deaths and address the number of children who have not received routine vaccinations.

She also highlighted the importance of Special Care Baby Units in providing care for premature and vulnerable newborns, noting that these babies often require oxygen, baby warmers and trained health personnel.

“This is not something the Government can do by itself. The Ministry of Health needs partners, we need communities and we need everyone to join hands to protect mothers and children and improve their wellbeing,” she said.

Dr Jalikatu Mustapha called for the initiative to be extended beyond Freetown to rural and remote communities, where mothers and newborns also need essential support.

The Angel Blanket Initiative combines the provision of basic newborn supplies with health education and partnerships with healthcare facilities. Its launch in Sierra Leone marks another step in the Foundation’s effort to improve maternal and newborn wellbeing across Africa.