( CNN ) -- When she was a public health administrator for the state of California , Kathryn Hall-Trujillo found that her greatest challenge was paying for babies who were born sick . `` The figure we were working with at that time was about $ 300,000 ... to stabilize a baby for the first 90 days , '' said Hall-Trujillo , who worked for the state from 1976-1991 . At the same time , she said , it cost just $ 2,000 to ensure pregnant mothers received all the care they needed for a healthy pregnancy and proper delivery . The staggering disparity , along with troubling rates of infant mortality in America , compelled Hall-Trujillo , 62 , to find a solution . `` It occurred to me that one of the things that we could do that would cost hardly anything was to make sure that moms who were at risk ... [ were ] really connected to care , '' she said . What Hall-Trujillo came up with was Birthing Project USA . Since 1988 , the nonprofit organization has been battling high infant-mortality rates by pairing soon-to-be moms with volunteer `` sister friends '' who provide guidance and support through the pregnancy and first year of the baby 's life . Of every 1,000 babies born in the United States , at least six ( 6.14 ) do not survive their first year of life , according to the CIA World Factbook . That gives the United States only the 45th best infant mortality rate in the world , trailing top-ranked Monaco ( 1.78 deaths per thousand births ) and countries such as Japan ( 2.79 ) and the United Kingdom ( 4.78 ) . And African-American babies , regardless of the mother 's age , income or educational level , are more than twice as likely to die before the age of 1 than Caucasian babies , according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . It is this at-risk group that the Birthing Project primarily targets . `` By the act of going back and saving what we consider to be our little sisters at risk , we have found out that we 're also saving our own lives , because we need this kind of information and ... support , regardless of where we are on the socioeconomic ladder , '' Hall-Trujillo said . Hall-Trujillo started the project as an experiment while working for the state in 1988 . She paired 10 young , pregnant African-American women who had little access to financial , educational and emotional support with more experienced black women who had further education and more stable income . The idea was to have the pairs work together to ensure positive birth outcomes . This became the founding `` sisterhood '' that has since been replicated thousands of times . Hall-Trujillo participated in the experiment as a `` sister friend '' herself . But just days after delivery , the baby of her `` little sister '' died from complications . `` I used the words infant mortality ... every day of my working career . But until I held DeAndre in my arms , I never realized that that meant counting dead babies , '' she said . `` [ That ] was ... enough to really change my life . '' The experience moved Hall-Trujillo to quit her job and work on the Birthing Project full time . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes . Since its inception , the Birthing Project has welcomed more than 12,000 babies in 94 community chapters in the United States , Canada , Cuba , Honduras and Malawi . `` We 've been doing this long enough now that you can hear a child -- 20 years old -- say , ' I was born into the Birthing Project , ' `` Hall-Trujillo said . `` That means more to me than anything that I may have given up , because in return I have received a whole community . '' Hall-Trujillo and veteran chapter leaders train women who step up and create chapters in their own communities . Together , they identify local partner organizations that provide the support services needed for maternal and child health , such as parenting classes and transportation to doctor appointments . The volunteers then help connect their pregnant sisters to those resources . `` All of us want to see our babies born as healthy as possible to families who are prepared to care for them , '' Hall-Trujillo said . Laniqua Roussell , 36 , and her `` little sister , '' Evan Batiste , 20 , are part of the group 's newest chapter in New Orleans , Louisiana . The two were paired together in April , at the end of Batiste 's first trimester . Roussell has played a key role in Batiste 's pregnancy . She not only helps make sure Batiste is eating right and attending her prenatal appointments , but she also helps Batiste budget her money and find access to affordable , stable housing . `` I wanted a big sister that [ has ] kids , [ has ] accomplished a lot in life already to teach me things I do n't know , '' Batiste said . `` I could tell she cares about me . I could sense it . ... I needed that . '' For Hall-Trujillo , seeing the difference the Birthing Project is making is `` magical . '' `` We can do something to help save the world , '' she said . `` All these women prove me right . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Birthing Project website at www.birthingprojectusa.org and see how to help . You can nominate a 2010 CNN Hero at cnnheroes.com .
Birthing Project USA helps soon-to-be mothers find guidance and support . The goal of the mentoring program is to prevent babies from being born sick . Kathryn Hall-Trujillo came up with the idea while she was a public health administrator . "I had this baby that I wanted to give birth to, but it wasn't going to be healthy for her or me," said Hall-Trujillo. Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes .