Hank and John Green Help Open Sierra Leone’s First NICU — and It’s Already Delivering Babies
On Valentine’s Day, a baby girl weighing 1.72 kg — just 3.79 pounds — was born at 2:13 p.m. inside a facility that had never existed in Sierra Leone: a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
And it couldn’t have been done without the philanthropic support of Hank and John Green and their online community.
The baby girl received specialized NICU care immediately, according to the Directorate of Hospital and Ambulance Services of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health.
That first delivery marked the culmination of years of coordinated effort between a national government, a global nonprofit, and an unlikely group of funders — and it offers one of the most instructive case studies in recent memory for anyone working in philanthropy, global health, or community development.
The Crisis Behind Sierra Leone’s First NICU
Sierra Leone has historically had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
In 2020, 1 in 52 women died during pregnancy or childbirth, according to Partners In Health. For reference, the United States had a mortality rate of 1 in 3,800. The United Kingdom had 1 in 5,200.
The country’s 11-year civil war and a broken health system with diminishing maternal care drove this crisis. Infrastructure, staffing, and supply chain gaps persisted for years after the conflict ended.
How the Partnership Was Structured
The Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE), which officially opened its doors on Feb. 14, rests on a three-pillar partnership: Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health, the international nonprofit Partners In Health, and a funding network built by authors and content creators Hank and John Green.
The project broke ground in 2021. Hank and John Green raised about $50 million connected to their efforts for the hospital.
That funding flowed through multiple channels: their businesses, including the Good Store and the Awesome Socks Club; direct donations; and their annual Project for Awesome charity livestream.
Their community of supporters, known as “Nerdfighteria,” contributed significantly.
“This has been a six-year journey for our community, raising $50 million, working with the Sierra Leonean government and Partners in Health Sierra Leone to build the staff, stuff, space, and systems necessary to provide good, dignified care,” John Green said in an announcement video mid-Project For Awesome.
Building on a Decade of Incremental Progress
The MCOE did not emerge from a single capital campaign.
It builds upon the country’s efforts over the past decade to improve maternal health care, which has included a blood bank and pharmacy next to the existing maternal ward.
The new center expands upon a previous 48-bed maternal ward, growing the facility to 166 beds with expanded maternal and newborn services and high-level emergency care.
Sierra Leone’s first-ever NICU — a capacity that simply did not exist in the country before — is part of that expansion.
Training the Majority-Women Workforce
The project included training about 200 clinical staff, including 51 midwives. John Green himself directed attention away from the funding side and toward the people on the ground.
“I’d love to present us as the heroes of this story, but the truth is, the folks in Sierra Leone who actually built the hospital, who actually provide the care, who do the training for the nurses and midwives and traditional birth attendants, those are the people who really made this possible,” John said in the video.
A trained workforce of 200 clinical staff represents an asset that persists beyond any single grant cycle or fundraising campaign.
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health served as an active partner, not merely a recipient. The Ministry’s public statement reflected institutional ownership of the achievement.
“The Ministry of Health and Partners In Health proudly celebrate this remarkable milestone and look forward to many more successes as we continue strengthening healthcare delivery across Sierra Leone. Together, we are advancing safer motherhood and giving every newborn a stronger start to life,” the Ministry of Health wrote on Facebook.
Who Are Hank and John Green?
Hank and John Green have used their large online platforms to raise awareness and funding for global health issues, including maternal mortality in Sierra Leone and tuberculosis efforts.
Their YouTube channel Vlogbrothers has more than 4 million subscribers, and their fundraising and business profits have generated tens of millions of dollars for global health initiatives.
John Green is the author behind The Fault In Our Stars, adapted into a film in 2014. Hank Green is the author of New York Times best sellers An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and its sequel A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor.
The brothers were named to the TIME100 Health 2026 list and plan to continue supporting maternal health efforts in Sierra Leone.
What This Funding Model Offers
The MCOE provides a concrete example of how unconventional funding sources, established NGO expertise, and national government partnership can converge over time.
From a 48-bed ward and adjacent blood bank and pharmacy, through a groundbreaking in 2021, to a 166-bed center of excellence delivering its first baby on opening day.
The center is named after Paul E. Farmer, a towering figure in global health equity.
That choice reflects the values embedded in the project: dignified care, systems-level investment, and the belief that where you are born should not determine whether you survive.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.