Reducing infant mortality rates changes the future and that is exactly what Health Goes Global has set out to do in our partnership with Partners for World Health.

Providing 10,000 birthing kits for midwives, clinics, and mothers in need throughout Africa. 

Project 10,000 also provides education to women about the complications that come along with pregnancy such as prolonged labor and eclampsia, when to seek help, and other important skills to pass along throughout their communities. 

$100 covers the transportation costs of 35 birthing kits!

Supplying these underserved populations with birthing kits is a way of decreasing poor hygiene that is frequently associated with infection after birth, such as puerperal sepsis and neonatal tetanus infections. 

Infant mortality rates have reached 53 infant deaths per 1000 live births.

The birthing kits we help provide contain a variety of items to help mothers and midwives perform sterile births and also include items to keep their babies warm. Additionally, our kits have recently expanded to also include 90 days of prenatal folic vitamins and 1 month of post-delivery iron supplements for mothers to maintain healthiness before and after pregnancy. 

Birthing kits contain the supplies necessary for a sterile birth and to keep their newborns warm:

• Surgical instruments

• Gloves

• Plastic drape

• Poly Lined towel 

• Drying cloths

• Umbilical tape 

• Peri pads

• Disposable panties

• Diapers

• Infant cap

• Receiving blankets

In low income countries with low access to healthcare, half of births happen at home and without any type of skilled birth attendants. Studies show that giving women birthing kits encourages them to seek trained midwives during labor. By providing women with the tools they need in these frequently underprepared situations, we can increase sterile pregnancy environments and therefore increase the amount of healthy babies and mothers post-pregnancy. 

Written by Meghan Matas

Citations:

https://www.partnersforworldhealth.org/project-10-000

Lassi, Z. S., Fisher, Z., Andraweera, P., Cummins, A., & Roberts, C. T. (2019). Effectiveness of birthing kits for clean childbirth: a systematic review. International Health, 12(1), 3–10. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihz022