How low tech is making a big impact on maternal deaths in Nigeria

By Aanu Adeoye, for CNN

Updated 1242 GMT (2042 HKT) December 7, 2018

Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth, according to the <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/193994/WHO_RHR_15.23_eng.pdf;jsessionid=FC186C161A934E23A7CDB0757D4FEF44?sequence=1" target="_blank">United Nations</a>. It accounts for 19% of all maternal deaths on the planet.

Photos: Reducing maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth, according to the United Nations. It accounts for 19% of all maternal deaths on the planet.

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Photos: Reducing maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria

A child receives a shot during a vaccination campaign against polio in Northern Nigeria. Nigeria continues to make progress in the fight against polio, and was, in 2016, removed from the Polio-Endemic list by the World Health Organization.

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Photos: Reducing maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria

A young boy reacts as a health worker administers a measles vaccine in Lagos. Nigeria is one of three countries where up to about 8.1 million children remain un-vaccinated from measles, according to the World Health Organization.

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A child's finger is being marked as proof to show that she has been immunized during a vaccination campaign against polio in northwest Nigeria. <br />Nigeria is one of only three countries in the world with ongoing wild polio virus transmission, according to <a href="http://polioeradication.org/where-we-work/nigeria/" target="_blank">The Global Polio Eradication Initiative</a>.

Photos: Reducing maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria

A child's finger is being marked as proof to show that she has been immunized during a vaccination campaign against polio in northwest Nigeria.
Nigeria is one of only three countries in the world with ongoing wild polio virus transmission, according to The Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

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Photos: Reducing maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Bakassi IDP camp in the Cross River Sate of Nigeria provides vital health care services, including running a medical facility, distributing medication, family planning counseling and skills training for girls and women affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

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Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)When Abiodun Adereni learned that pregnant women in Nigeria were dying from a lack of proper health care at childbirth, he knew something had to be done. So he launched HelpMum, a Nigerian health service provider that tackles the problem by using low-cost innovations and the power of mobile technology.

Nigeria is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth, according to the United Nations. It accounts for 19% of all maternal deaths on the planet.

Adereni, the founder and CEO of HelpMum said he launched the company in 2017 to reduce the rates of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria. The company works in rural areas that have limited access to primary health centers and provides clean birth kits to women, in order to prevent infections.

Nigeria has a staggering rate of 58,000 maternal deaths annually according to a 2015 report by the United Nations.

Winners of the 2018 Google Impact Challenge, Nigeria

The outlook for newborn babies in Nigeria isn't encouraging either, with about 528 daily deaths, which, according to UNICEF, is one of the highest in the world.