U-VOL Foundation and EHCON Equip Nigeria’s Maternal Workforce with Lifesaving Ultrasound Skills in Partnership with Butterfly Network

In many underserved communities, access to even the most basic diagnostic tools can mean the difference between life and death—especially for mothers and newborns.
Through a growing collaboration between U-VOL Foundation, Emergency Healthcare Consultants and Butterfly Network that reality is beginning to change in Nigeria.

Strengthening Maternal Care Through Innovation and Partnership

Over the past year, U-VOL Foundation has expanded its ValueHer Initiative, a flagship program focused on improving maternal and women’s health outcomes in low-resource settings.

With the generous support of Health Carousel Foundation, U-VOL procured handheld ultrasound devices to support maternal health programs across three healthcare facilities in Nigeria.

Through its participation in Butterfly Network’s Global Health Program, U-VOL is leveraging Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) technology—bringing critical diagnostic capability directly into the hands of frontline providers.

Training the Providers Who Save Lives

Technology alone is not enough. To ensure meaningful and sustainable impact, U-VOL implemented a hybrid train-the-trainer model designed to build in-country capacity.

In partnership with Emergency Healthcare Consultants (EHCON), U-VOL delivered hands-on POCUS training to a multidisciplinary group of providers, including:

Midwives
Resident doctors
Consultant Obstetricians

This collaborative approach strengthens team-based care while equipping providers with the skills needed to identify obstetric emergencies earlier and respond more effectively..

From Training to Transformation

The true impact of this work is already being seen in real time.

During a recent maternal health outreach in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Benue State, a routine ultrasound scan identified a life-threatening complication—severe oligohydramnios. With no prior access to imaging, this condition may have gone undetected until it was too late.

Because the condition was identified early using POCUS, the patient was urgently referred for an emergency cesarean section. Both mother and baby survived.

“We identified a patient with severe oligohydramnios during a scan at the IDP camp. She was taken immediately for a higher level of care and ultimately an emergency cesarean section. Both the mother and baby survived—but truly, the baby would not have made it without that intervention.

There was no amniotic fluid left, and the baby had already passed meconium. We had to act quickly. This is exactly why having access to ultrasound in these settings is so critical.”
— Dr. Ekoja, RCN Medical Centre

By integrating POCUS into maternal care and triage, providers are now better able to:

Detect high-risk pregnancies and complications earlier
Make faster, more informed clinical decisions
Reduce delays in care that often lead to preventable maternal and neonatal deaths

In settings where access to imaging is limited or nonexistent, this shift is transformative.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Impact Across Regions

This initiative represents just the beginning.

U-VOL Foundation is continuing to expand the ValueHer Initiative across Nigeria and into Ghana—combining training, technology, and community-centered care to build stronger, more resilient maternal health systems.

With continued collaboration through Butterfly Network’s Global Health Program U-VOL is working toward a future where every provider—no matter how remote their setting—has the tools and training needed to save lives.

A Lifeline for IDP Communities

RCN Medical Center plays a vital role in supporting surrounding communities, including providing free primary care and antenatal services to IDP camps in the region. With thousands of displaced families facing limited access to care, this POCUS donation greatly expands the hospital’s capacity to respond to maternal emergencies.

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