Less is More
Birthing Kits
|
|
|
Zonta Club North Sydney holds an annual Birthing Kit Assembly Day, with the support of the North Sydney Community Centre. By engaging the community to help assemble the kits, the club is able to produce several hundred kits to provide a safe childbirth for mothers in developing countries. In addition, the club assists local high schools in conducting their own Birthing Kit days. The completed birthing kits are distributed by The Birthing Kit Foundation Australia, which arranges shipment to developing countries through Australia's international aid unit at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Industry.
At the 1995 UNWomen’s Conference in Beijing, actor Sally Field inspired Adelaide's Dr, Joy O’Hazy with the idea that women in developing countries could survive birth in far greater numbers if they had access to a few basic, clean items. Today, birthing kits are sent to communities in need in developing countries.
Birthing Kit Assembly Days provide an opportunity to socialize while packaging these essential supplies, which have been shown to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.
Birthing Kit Foundation Australia has a series of interesting videos to learn about the kits, their uses, and target users (4 parts).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_SDdsXJ-4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSAW9KaGQkM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1deV5tqpdc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1deV5tqpdc
Thirty-five volunteers (men and women), gave their time on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at the North Sydney Community Center (under strict Covid-19 restrictions) to pack 600 Birthing Kits for women in developing countries. The kits will be distributed by Birthing Kit Foundation Australia, which has "... supplied over 2.4 million clean birth kits to women in remote regions of over 30 countries, trained over 10,000 traditional birth attendants and contributed to the prevention of FGM in communities that were killing their women in childbirth. The impact of our work can not be underestimated, with many unexpected benefits for the women and communities we support." You can find out more here.
The latest Birthing Day event was held on November 14th at Willoughby Girls High School, where 200 birthing kits were assembled, thanks to the many students who eagerly volunteered. Cupcakes with white icing and a logo of Birth Kit Foundation Australia were handed to each student following their work.
|
|
|
This project would not exist without the generosity of our volunteers and donors.
To assist or donate, please contact us at zontanorthsydney@gmail.com.
To assist or donate, please contact us at zontanorthsydney@gmail.com.
