Overview

• Oti Mabuse visited the UNICEF-funded Kangaroo Mother Care unit at Abidjan’s Treichville Hospital to see life-saving skin-to-skin treatment in action.
• She connected deeply with mothers at the clinic, recalling her own daughter’s 10-week premature birth and six-week neonatal intensive care stay.
• UNICEF statistics show 4.8 million under-five deaths globally in 2024, with prematurity now the leading cause of child mortality in Côte d’Ivoire.
• A film of Mabuse’s trip will air during Soccer Aid for UNICEF on June 15 on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation matches donations up to £5 million.
• Meetings with parents like Ouattara, whose first premature baby died without specialized care but whose second survived after treatment, underscored the critical impact of funded neonatal services.