Safe Sleep for Every Child, Everywhere
Working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and institutions to deliver culturally informed, evidence-based sleep guidance in resource-limited settings.
The Need
The evidence base of Sudden Infant Death Syndrom (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained or Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) in lower-income countries (LICs) is poor. In most LICs, full scene investigation is rarely feasible, so many deaths that would be SIDS/SUID in high-income countries are coded as “unknown” or other causes.
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Several Global Burden of Disease (GBD) papers conclude that the highest modeled SIDS rates occur in low-SDI (Socio-Demographic Index) regions dominated by LICs (especially Western and Eastern sub-Saharan Africa) (Park et al., QJM 2022). A recent global research shows that although SIDS has declined worldwide over the past three decades, large inequalities persist. Low-resource countries continue to carry the highest burden, with SIDS mortality rates remaining more than double those seen in high-income countries. In 2021, nations in low-socio-economic settings such as South Sudan, Afghanistan, Chad, Nigeria, and Yemen recorded some of the highest rates globally — highlighting the urgent need for greater awareness, prevention strategies, and access to safer sleep education in vulnerable communities (Tang et al., Children 2025).
Further studies from regions across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East shows that infant sleep challenges are common everywhere, but families in low-resource settings often face additional environmental and cultural barriers that make sleep even more difficult. Frequent night wakings, late bedtimes, and difficulty settling to sleep are widely reported, especially in households where families co-sleep out of necessity, share small living spaces, or follow demanding evening routines. Noise, overcrowding, heat or poor ventilation, and the need for bed nets can further disrupt sleep. Parents are often exhausted, yet many do not view these struggles as “sleep problems,” because waking for feeding and constant comforting are culturally expected. This research highlights the importance of sleep support that is realistic, culturally sensitive, and works within everyday conditions — empowering families to protect both infant safety and caregiver wellbeing. (Sources: Mindell et al., Sleep Medicine; Sadeh et al., Journal of Sleep Research; Lozoff et al., Pediatric Research; WHO & UNICEF infant care guidance)
Why Partner With Us
Our Founder, Connie, brings over 12 years of professional experience championing child rights through global non-governmental organizations. She has led and managed multi-million-dollar development and humanitarian programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, advancing education, health and nutrition, child protection, and social inclusion. In Rwanda, she played a key role in advocating for children with disabilities to access inclusive education and protection services. She has also designed early childhood development initiatives with UN agencies, including UNICEF, and is well-versed in results-based program management and accountability. With a blend of global expertise and deep cultural understanding, Connie, who is also a certified pediatric sleep consultant, is committed to bridging the gap in safe sleep education and promoting responsive sleep practices for families and communities around the world.
Proposal Development
Quality infant sleep is a critical yet often overlooked factor in improving maternal health, early childhood development, and foundational learning outcomes. Our team is equipped to support you in integrating safe sleep and healthy sleep practices into your programs, from strengthening project design to refining key results frameworks with measurable, evidence-based indicators. We collaborate with organizations to build holistic health and early childhood initiatives that enhance caregiver wellbeing and give children the best start in life.​
Frontline Workers Training​
Building the capacity of frontline workers is essential for achieving sustainable, community-level impact. Whether your focus is on Community Health Workers, nurses, midwives, or doulas, we collaborate with you to design and deliver training that is practical, culturally relevant, and aligned to your program goals. Our team tailors curricula to the specific needs and contexts of your workforce and conducts robust training evaluations to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP). Where needed, we can also support ongoing monitoring to reinforce skills and ensure long-term adoption of safe and responsive sleep practices.
Sensitization Workshops
Sleep health is an essential component of maternal well-being and early childhood programs. We provide sensitization workshops for both technical and program management teams to strengthen organizational awareness and capacity. Each session is tailored to your objectives and program context, covering topics such as safe sleep practices across diverse cultures, strategies for managing common infant sleep challenges in resource-constrained settings, and the links between healthy sleep, maternal wellbeing, child development, and future learning outcomes. Our goal is to equip your teams with practical knowledge that enhances holistic care for children and caregivers.
Research
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Despite the global importance of sleep for early childhood development and caregiver health, research in low-income countries (LICs) remains extremely limited. Major gaps include: lack of population-level data; minimal focus on caregiver wellbeing in relations to children's sleep habits; limited cultural and environmental context; few intervention or prevention studies; limited integration into health policies and donor frameworks; disconnect from broader health and early childhood outcomes. To advance child wellbeing in low-resource settings, sleep must be measured, contextualized, and integrated into maternal and early childhood development research and programming.
How We Can Collaborate
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Our office is based in BC, Canada but we work with clients worldwide
Connect with us today to explore partnership options
@littleworldsleep