John and Hank Green's $50M Donation Opens Sierra Leone's First-Ever NICU — First Baby Already Born

Sierra Leone, a country on the southwest coast of West Africa, has ranked among the worst in the world for maternal mortality rates for many years. In 2020, 1 in 52 women died during pregnancy or childbirth — compared to 1 in 3,800 in the United States and 1 in 5,200 in the United Kingdom. That changed on Valentine's Day 2026, when the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence opened its doors with 166 beds and high-quality care for women and children. It's the first time Sierra Leone has had its own neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). And a baby girl — the hospital's very first delivery — has already been born there. The MCOE is a massive expansion of the area's existing 48-bed maternal ward. Much of the nearly decade-long effort was the work of global health nonprofit Partners in Health and local ministries of health. But two funding partners were key: bestselling authors, internet personalities, and entrepreneurs Hank and John Green. The brothers first set out to raise millions for the hospital in 2019 by starting Awesome Socks Club, a sock-selling platform that donates all profits to Partners in Health. This evolved into Good Store, an online shop selling everyday products like coffee, tea, soap, and sustainable home-cleaning products — all with profits donated to charity, totaling over $12 million so far. Combined with massive annual fundraisers through their Project for Awesome initiative and personal donations, the Green brothers contributed $50 million to the project. Since 2014, Partners in Health has worked with local health officials to improve maternal healthcare in the area, including adding a blood bank and pharmacy, training nursing and midwifery staff, and improving access to family planning. The opening of this hospital represents more than infrastructure — it's a statement that every mother and baby deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they're born. 'This is what happens when people decide that the accident of where you're born shouldn't determine whether you live or die,' said one Partners in Health spokesperson at the opening ceremony.