Pregnancy Complications
Infant- and Family-Centered Developmental Care
Respiratory Infections
Neonatal Eye Health
Hygiene
Rare Diseases
Early Birds, the Ukrainian association of parents of preterm born children, hosted a certified training in Lviv, Ukraine, bringing together 50 healthcare professionals from 16 regions of Ukraine to advance early assessment and follow-up care for infants at risk.
To form the teams, analysts were engaged to select those hospitals that cover the largest number of babies in the regions and are most likely to become the main providers of such a service. The training focused on internationally recognized tools for early developmental monitoring, including:
The training, led by Dr. Andrea Guzzetta (Università di Pisa, General Movements Trust) and Dr. Olena Chorna (PhD in Neurosciences) empowered neonatologists, pediatricians, neurologists, and therapists to identify early signs of developmental challenges – ensuring timely interventions that improve long-term outcomes for children and families.
A dynamic strategic session led by Dina Volynets (Curly Management Bureau) further explored how to scale up follow-up care in Ukraine, addressing key priorities such as parental awareness, service regulation, and the systematization of certified tools.
Throughout the event, speakers consistently referenced the GFCNI Standards of Care for Newborn Health – highlighting the importance of global best practices in shaping Ukraine’s national follow-up system.
To enable immediate implementation, equipment was distributed to all participating hospitals. This was followed by a series of online webinars featuring national and international experts, including Mandy Daly (The Irish Neonatal Health Alliance), Lauren Ingledow (Adult Preemie Advocacy Network CIC), Yana Martynenko, Oksana Nazar, Olga Tychkivska, and Dieter Wolke covering the topic of the long-term consequences of preterm birth based on the scientific latest research. Two days of online webinars attracted over 2,800 participants from across Ukraine.
Together, these events aim to lay the foundation for a system where every child receives the care they need to thrive.
This initiative is part of the “Follow-up for Preterm Babies in Ukraine” project. The event was held in partnership with the National Health Service of Ukraine, The General Movements Trust, BornToGetThere Project, SMILE Lab (IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris), and the University of Pisa. This project was created by NGO Early Birds with the support of a grant from the Children's Resilience Fund: Providing Capacity Building and Funding to Ukrainian Civil Society Organisations in Ukraine. The program is implemented by Crown Agents Ukraine and Integrity Action. The content of the article does not necessarily reflect the views of Integrity Action, or Crown Agents in Ukraine.
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