The Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity
In many countries, unacceptable maternal health outcomes persist. A long history of unequal access to health care, as well as the underlying social determinants of health, are key factors that contribute to these inequities.
Around the world, visionary leaders and community-based organizations are creating a path to a world where maternal health outcomes are improved and pregnancy and childbirth are safer. They are helping to create a world where prenatal visits, labor and delivery and postpartum encounters for the first year after childbirth contribute to healthier maternal health outcomes.
In 2021, we launched the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity. This annual award was established in recognition of the legacy and commitment to maternal health by Kenneth C. Frazier, retired chairman and CEO. Every year, the grant award is bestowed upon one organization to celebrate its commitment to and progress toward quality maternal health care for all.
2025 Recipient
The 2025 recipient of the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity is
HERA Digital Health, an
innovative organization advancing maternal health care by addressing critical and often overlooked needs
through its intuitive and accessible mobile app. Through their digital health platform, HERA is making an
immense impact by increasing access to prenatal care and childhood vaccinations for Syrian refugees in Türkiye
under temporary protection.
“We are proud to have reached nearly 250,000 users so far, and, thanks to this award and Merck for Mothers’ support, we aim to expand our impact to 300,000 users in need throughout Türkiye.”
To read more about HERA, as well as past award recipients, please read more in this article published by Devex here.
Past Award Recipients
2024 – Moving Health
The 2024 recipient of the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity was Moving Health, a nonprofit focused on improving maternal health outcomes with safer and faster transportation for pregnant women in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, such as Ghana. Through the development of low-cost ambulances, Moving Health is addressing one of the top barriers to accessing medical care globally, adequate transportation to hospitals and other delivery points for high-quality health care. Moving Health actively collaborates with traditional birth attendants, midwives, and community leaders to improve vehicle infrastructure and co-create solutions to maternal health care challenges for women in “last-mile” communities.
“Everyone, regardless of their geographic location, deserves access to a sustainable form of emergency transportation. We are ecstatic to receive the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity as it will allows us to expand our work into additional regions and continue to work to meet the health care needs of pregnant women and their communities.” –Emily Young, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder.
2023 – ARMMAN
The 2023 recipient of the Kenneth C. Frazier award for Maternal Health Equity was ARMMAN, an India-based non-profit, seeking to address systemic gaps in health care throughout India by leveraging technology to enable healthy pregnancies and safe childhood. The organization is proactively embracing equity-based and gender transformative approaches, seamlessly integrating these principles through innovative programs. Through the expansive outreach of mobile health and the existing health infrastructure, ARMMAN provides information to women to enable them to seek care in a timely manner and to train and support health workers for timely detection and management of high-risk conditions.
“No mother or child, irrespective of their gender, class, race, caste, economic condition and migrant status should die or suffer for want of care. There can be no global progress until all our mothers and children do well. The support from the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity will help us move from “one size fits all” to a more nuanced, “fit for purpose” approach using a tech plus touch model to reach the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and ensure that we leave no one behind.” - Dr. Aparna Hegde, Founder, Chairperson and Managing Trustee of ARMMAN.
2022 - Mali Health
The 2022 recipient of the Kenneth C. Frazier award for Maternal Health Equity was Mali Health, an organization based in Bamako, Mali. When Mali Health was created in 2006, they worked to identify the barriers that prevent women and children from accessing quality health care in their region, and today the organization develops and implements solutions to address those barriers. Mali Health’s comprehensive program helps women prepare for birth by connecting them to health information, to the midwives at their health centers, and to each other. With the award, Mali Health intends to extend the program’s impact in a way that is equitable and sustainable, and put the program in the hands of the women and the communities it serves by piloting community-led approaches.
“The Mali Health team is deeply grateful to receive the Kenneth C. Frazier Award and for the light it shines on participatory, community-led approaches that keep the voices and experiences of women at the heart of efforts to improve maternal health equity in underserved communities. We are honored and proud to stand with all those working to improve access to quality maternal healthcare in their communities and to contribute to a world where no woman has to die while giving life.” -The Mali Health Team.
2021 – Singergias
The inaugural recipient of the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity was Sinergias, a nongovernmental organization in Colombia that aims to improve access to respectful, high-quality and culturally relevant maternal health care services that center women as key actors in their communities’ health systems. Working in the most hard-to-reach areas of the country, Sinergias co-creates solutions with indigenous and rural communities to address inequities in maternal health outcomes.
“Winning this award is a great honor for us, but above all, it is a recognition and a wake-up call to the importance of working with people to adapt health care services in marginalized and diverse communities. Likewise, this recognition is highlighting the need to improve access to quality services by strengthening local capacities to improve health in a sustainable way,” said Pablo Montoya, General Director of Sinergias.
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