Oti Mabuse with Ajam, and her newborn baby in the west African country (Unicef/Frank Dejongh/PA)*no names for children, for reasons below.Oti Mabuse visited Côte d’Ivoire to see first-hand how donations raised through Soccer Aid for UNICEF can help children grow up safe, healthy and able to play. Oti visited the Kangaroo Mother Care Unit at Treichville Hospital, which supports mothers whose children are born prematurely. Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), or skin-to-skin contact, is a method of newborn care that involves placing a baby on their mother’s bare chest for extended periods and has significant benefits for both the mother and baby. The units also serve as a comprehensive centre where babies can receive their routine immunizations and birth certificates UNICEF built the Kangaroo Mother Care Unit at Treichville Hospital which Oti visited. Originally with nine beds, it now has 26.Worldwide an estimated 4.8 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024 – deaths that were mostly preventable. This includes 2.3 million newborns who died within the first 28 days of life (neonatal). Because of this, many of the children in the unit do not have names yet, as parents may hesistate to name their child while their future remains uncertain. -
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Oti Mabuse has said a trip to visit mothers of babies born prematurely in Cote d’Ivoire “brought everything home” about the premature birth of her own daughter.
The 34-year-old visited a neonatal care unit in the west African country to help raise awareness of its work ahead of Soccer Aid, which raises money for Unicef, which funds the unit.
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