The past few months have been fruitful. Instead of my usual “What’s next?,” I’m going to take a moment before I leave for Laos, to think about what’s been accomplished (Caution: I am pretty much tooting my own horn here)
First off, with the help of my wonderful intern, I have raised enough money to fully fund the Clean Birth Kits Pilot Project! People have been so generous. The number of people (70+) that have responded convinces me that the issue resonates with many people. One person that it resonated with is Sarah Cody at FoxCT who will be profiling CleanBirth.org on December 3rd. So excited! I hope that we will reach more potential donors…and that I don’t look too jet-lagged since I fly in the day before filming!
The fact that I don’t have to twist arms for people to pull out their wallets is crucial. If it was a tough sell, my job would be awful. Because when you get right down I need to 1. to listen to the leadership in Laos about what they need to improve maternal and infant mortality 2. get them money/training.
Despite my initial aversion to fundraising, reading “Fundraising for Social Change” has convinced me that people want to give. Thanks to this book, I am actually looking forward to developing a comprehensive fundraising policy, which will include becoming a 501c3 (in the works) and creating an effective Board of Directors.
I will certainly have my eye out for potential board members at an event I am hosting for YaleWomen CT on February 10. I will get a chance to talk about CleanBirth.org and then connect with these impressive women. Here’s hoping I capture someone’s interest.
Another way I am using my Yale connection, is to team up with students interested in global health at Yale Nursing School and the School of Public Health. In December, I will give a presentation to these students in the hope that one or two will secure a grant to come to Laos in summer 2013 and provide training to local staff.
I am so grateful to several women who have approached me about supporting CleanBirth.org: Susan Clinard an amazing artist and friend who is helping me plan a fundraiser in New Haven; Jacki at http://hjunderway.com/13-for-13/ who is running a 1/2 marathon in Tanzania to bring awareness to 13 non-profits; Valerie Baumal, founder of http://www.anakijo.com/, who has offered to donate her lovely handmade children’s products/a portion of her proceeds to raise money. Their generosity empowers me to think that we can indeed make an impact and reduce the number of mothers and babies dying needlessly.
I feel like I am ready for this trip and the training of 10 staff members. In the past week, I have used PATH’s fantastic resource about conducting a Clean Birth Kits training. I modified it and sent it along to a new Lao friend at Cornell who translated it. I need to print 10 copies, slide into 10 green (lucky Lao color) folders, insert into 10 purple (CleanBirth.org’s color) bags, add chocolate bars from IKEA (chocolate = universal) and I am mostly ready to go.
So… “What’s next?”
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