Direct Relief Provides Midwife Kits

Direct Relief finds that

Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death and disability among women of childbearing age in developing countries. Having a skilled attendant during delivery is considered the single most critical intervention for ensuring safe motherhood.

Therefore they have initiated programs to train midwives in 12 countries (Laos among them) and supple them with kits to ensure clean, safe birthing.

The traditional midwife kits are targeted to areas where more than 50 percent of deliveries happen at home and to providers who have completed basic birth-attendant training programs.

Certified midwife kits have the same materials as a traditional midwife kit, but also include equipment such as stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and instruments appropriate for births at home or in a health or maternity center.