New Year babies: The first MSF newborns of 2025
As the world celebrated the start of a new year, MSF teams were working hard to provide maternity services to mothers and their babies to ensure safe deliveries. Here are some of the first humans of 2025…
Afghanistan
At six minutes past midnight, a baby girl was welcomed into the world in Khost Province in southeastern Afghanistan. Khost is MSF's biggest maternity project in the world and in 2023 MSF staff delivered 45,100 births in Afghanistan.
Shabana, weighing 3.13 kilograms, was the first baby born at Khost Maternity Hospital in 2025 and is the first child for her parents.
Just a few minutes later, at the MSF-supported maternity ward in Boost Provincial Hospital in Helmand province, a mother gave birth to a baby boy at eight months pregnant.
The family was overjoyed and they’ve named their new arrival Haqmal.
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Bangladesh
Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh is home to Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Myanmar. It is comprised of camps including Jamtoli and Kutupalong, which is the largest refugee camp in the world.
At five in the morning on New Year's Day, baby Nur Shahera was born to mother Shomin Ara, weighing three kilograms. Shomin Ara said, “It's been 10 days since I arrived in camp. When I started experiencing labour pains, I went to the MSF’s Hakimpara Primary Healthcare Centre, where they referred me to this clinic (Jamtoli Primary Healthcare Centre).
“Thanks to Almighty, I had a smooth delivery without any complications like tearing or prolonged labour. The midwives took good care of me.
“This is my second child, and I'm so happy about it. We've been blessed with a baby girl. I hope my children have a better future.”
Half an hour later at Kutupalong Secondary Healthcare Hospital baby Rokeya was delivered safely. His mother said, “This is my first child. My entire family is so happy to have him, including me.”
“I dream that one day my son will become a teacher and educate many people. It was tough for me to continue my studying, but I want to give my son a good education.”
Pakistan
MSF is providing maternal and paediatric care services in three locations in Balochistan, a province in southwestern Pakistan.
In 2023, MSF supported 13,200 births in the province, and by August 2024, our teams assisted 9,640 births and conducted 30,023 consultations for pregnant women and mothers through MSF's comprehensive maternal health care programme.
Balochistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, with 298 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to the national average of 186.
Ayesha (left) was born in the MSF maternity unit in Chaman at 50 minutes into the New Year, weighing 2.7 kilograms.
This baby girl (right) entered the world at 6.35am in the MSF maternity unit in Kuchlak to mother Aqeela.
South Sudan
Nyakuola Nguot Gang, 40, walked 20 minutes from her home in Old Fangak, South Sudan, to the local hospital, arriving at 3am on New Year’s Day. Her baby girl was born at 8.20am. It was a smooth delivery assisted by the midwife on duty, Duol, midwife assistant, Dor, and midwife activity manager, Bella.
“All of my babies have been born at [this] MSF hospital and I am always very grateful,” Nyakuola said. She wanted to give back to the maternity team by allowing them to name her daughter. The team settled on Nyamuch, which means ‘gift’ in the local language of Nuer.
Nyakuola saw the MSF antenatal team regularly for her routine check-ups, but was also admitted four times. One of these admissions was earlier in the year for Hepatitis E, when the region experienced an outbreak. The other three times were for malaria in pregnancy, which is very common for many women in this region.
Sudan
The first baby born in 2025 in the Um Rakuba refugee camp hospital was a boy. Mum Rigat gave birth to her baby at 2.25am. She's Ethiopian and was forced to flee to Sudan when the conflict in Tigray started in 2020.
Sudan’s Um Rakuba camp shelters Ethiopian refugees. MSF has been working in the camp hospital since 2021.
Rigat said:
“It's hard to express in words what it means to me to deliver my healthy baby after everything we've been through with the conflict and now after years in this camp. But even in the happiness, I think of the future and if my child will have a chance for education and life without these same challenges. More than anything, I am hoping for a peaceful future.”
MSF and maternity care
Our healthcare teams around the world work together with pregnant women to provide delivery services, emergency obstetric care and post-delivery consultations.
We work with midwives and traditional birth attendants to establish programmes so complicated births can be identified quickly to help prevent maternal deaths.