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

Sierra Leone now has its first neonatal intensive care unit. The Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence opened on Valentine's Day 2026 with 166 beds — and a baby girl, the hospital's very first delivery, has already been born there.

Sierra Leone, a country on the southwest coast of West Africa, has long ranked among the worst in the world for maternal mortality. 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.

The MCOE is a massive expansion of the area's existing 48-bed maternal ward. Much of the nearly decade-long effort to build it was the work of global health nonprofit Partners in Health and local Sierra Leonean ministries of health.

🤝 How the Green Brothers Made It Happen

Two funding partners were key to bringing this hospital to life: 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 its 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 — with all 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 a total of $50 million to the project.

🏥 A Decade of Progress

Since 2014, Partners in Health has worked with local health officials to improve maternal healthcare in the region, including:

• Adding a blood bank and pharmacy next to the existing maternal ward
• Training nursing and midwifery staff
• Improving access to family planning
• Building the infrastructure needed for a world-class facility

But the demand required something far more ambitious: a full maternal health hospital specifically designed to provide the critical care that at-risk mothers and their newborns need.

👶 The First Baby

The hospital opened its doors on Saturday, February 14, 2026 — Valentine's Day. And in a moment that captured the spirit of the entire project, a baby girl was delivered as the facility's very first patient.

The opening 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."

— Partners in Health spokesperson

💡 Why This Matters

The hospital is named after Dr. Paul Farmer, the legendary physician and co-founder of Partners in Health who dedicated his life to bringing quality healthcare to the world's poorest communities. Farmer passed away in 2022, but his vision lives on in facilities like this one.

With 166 beds, a fully equipped NICU, trained staff, and modern medical equipment, the center is expected to dramatically reduce maternal and infant mortality in Sierra Leone for years to come.