Baby Shower Initiative (BSI) is a congregation-based initiative that uses prayer sessions to identify and recruit pregnant women; a congregation-organized baby shower for health interventions (including on-site prenatal testing); and baby receptions for post-delivery follow-up and retention.

We utilize an integrated testing approach to prenatal screening that includes tests for anemia, malaria, sickle cell disease, HIV, hepatitis and syphilis. We also add specific conditions that are prevalent in the local area we serve.

BSI is also supported by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH); University of Nevada School of Medicine; PeTR-GS (a PEPFAR-supported program) and currently operates in Enugu State-Nigeria. The state is one of the 36 states in Nigeria with 17 sub-divisions (local government areas) and an estimated population of 3,267,837 in 2006. BSI works with the Bishops of Enugu, Agwu and Oji-River and is active in over 200 churches distributed in over 30 communities across 7 local government areas in the state that serve as home to over 500,000 residents. As more communities adapt the BSI model, BSI will expand to other parts of Nigeria.