CleanBirth.org, Author at CleanBirth - Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos

Jun 28 2013

Clean Birth KitsTraining, Laos: Part 2

The training has been amazing. The nurses are so engaged and committed to the work. Today we reviewed the material presented yesterday on why the Clean Birth Kits make birth safer. We interviewed the nurses individually and, per Dr. Nong’s suggestion, gave a written test that I developed based on CleanBirth.org materials. They all did well and the top scoring nurse was awarded a second hand camera, donated by one of CleanBirth.org awesome supporters!

Once the material about the purpose and procedure of the kits was completely clear, we moved onto plans for the CleanBirth Volunteers Training. The nurses will become the trainers now. Beginning with one clinic in October, CleanBirth.org will fund training by each of the nurses. The nurses will invite a representative from each village that she serves to come and be trained as a CleanBirth Volunteer.

When Dr. Nong posed the question, “Do you think women will volunteer to come to the training and work for free in their communities to make birth safer?” They said, “Why not. We must try and get them to come. They will want to make birth safer.” So that was that. The buy-in that I was looking for was there for the asking.

Dr. Nong and I had planned what we thought the CleanBirth Volunteers Trainings should look like. We agreed that the nurses should use the CleanBirth.org training materials. Further, we thought they should promote breastfeeding and prenatal care. They are trained in these topics during nursing shool and this gives them the opportunity to share information with a representative from each village.

Before we gave too many of our own ideas, we gave the nurses a chance to decide for themselves what the training should look like. We asked them to develop a written plan for the training: topics to be covered, who should attend, budget, etc…

We had the nurses take time to draft individual plans. When they were finished, we found that while all included the topics above, some added topics like infant care and nutrition. They also indicated that a main village chief and a Lao Women’s Union representative should be invited. Wonderful to see them thinking for themselves and making plans that they themselves will execute!

The first training will be in October, to be followed by a second in January. CleanBirth.org will review the nurses more finalized plans and approve the budget. Our wonderful OVA staffer Noy (more details about her role in Part 3) and Dr. Nong will supervise this training to ensure that the the CleanBirth Volunteers understand the information given.

I am overjoyed by this new phase. It is exactly what I had hope for: locals helping each other to make birth safe.

Jun 27 2013

Clean Birth KitsTraining, Laos: Part 1

What a day! Twelve nurses showed up in the rainy morning for a full day of training. They were smiling and ready to learn from the first moment.

We began with an exploration of the kit, the WHO’s “6 Cleans”, how Clean Birth Kits prevent infection, how to explain their use to families, and how to record data.

These bright nurses, led by Dr. Nong, had questions about the use of each item and how to best explain to mothers and families how to use them. They answered my questions about number of births, population per village, birth traditions, family planning, etc…

Then we asked them about their ideas for communicating best with families. As Dr. Nong was writing furiously to keep up with the nurses ideas, I thought “This is exactly what I wanted. I’m in the background, providing the funding, while they come up with their own answers.”

Jun 04 2013

Laos Here I Come

In a few short days, I am off to Moscow to visit my in-laws and, from Moscow where my kids will remain, I travel to my beloved Bangkok. From Bangkok to Vientiane for 2 days and onward to Pakse for 10 days. It’s not enough time but it never is. Since I am on mom-time, I will get 10 times more done in a much shorter time than my pre-kid self could have.

My 2-day trip to Laos’ capital is filling up! I will be met at the train station by Valerie Baumal, CleanBirth.org supporter and artist. She and I will meet with Dee Harlow, CleanBirth.org’s liason in the capital. (Dee just won a $2,000 J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust grant for CleanBirth.org!!).

Later that day I am meeting with PSI to discuss possible future programming and a factory that makes local birth kits.

Then Sunday, Dee and another volunteer are hosting a tea for the women I have nicknamed “CleanBirth.org Ambassadors.” These “Ambassadors,” who live in Laos and believe in our mission, have been so generous with their time and donations. I look forward to meeting them in person!

Following these packed days, I head to Pakse. There I will meet with a midwife from Australia and a British woman living nearby — both are interested in supporting CleanBirth.org. Later that day, I head to Salavan where I will remain for 10 days, training the new nurses and brainstorming with my partner organization about future programming.

It’s going to be wonderful and busy — Laos here I come!!

May 15 2013

Lots to learn from Carol Perks

I am inspired to write about Carol Perks, who works for Save the Children in northern Laos. Her presentation here is inspirational: she has done so much to make birth … and life … safer for people in the northern Sayaboury Province.

The more I read, they more I know that I have so much to learn from Carol. The systems that she and Lao health workers have set up in the first province is being replicated in a second province.

Here’s a little from this article about her work:

If you want to stop babies becoming sick and dying in remote villages in poverty-stricken Laos, you put your faith in science and pragmatism, not superstition. You set up a primary health-care program. You teach the village midwives to do away with traditional birthing methods: no more cutting the umbilical cord with the first sharp implement to hand…

May 13 2013

Planning a Non-Profit Fundraiser for 100

I wanted to share with other small organizations lessons learned from CleanBirth.org’s first live fundraiser. We raised $4400 and spent $500. In the end we have $3,900 to make birth safer for moms and babies!

Nutshell. It was hard, stressful work that more than anything required organization and the support of a core group of volunteers. We would never have raised so much if we had to pay for the space. The silent auction raised 2/3 of the funds.

Here’s the details:

Place. We were lucky enough to get a space that was beautiful, free and could accommodate 100+. I had a friend who arranged this. Critical. Arrange it early.

Press. Our local newspaper, The New Haven Register, gave great press surrounding the event. Not sure how many attendees we got from the press but we received $700 or so in donations and Mother’s Day card orders.

Publicity. I talked about the event non-stop and printed Vistaprint postcards 2 months in advance and handed them out. I gave 3 local talks the month before and pitched the event. I asked them local moms on the playground personally to be there. Facebook was probably less of a help getting people to the event but it was a great way to generate interest and legitimize the organization.

Music. We decided to have pre-recorded music, though next year having live music may be a way to get more attendees.

Silent Auction. We had a very successful silent auction with 50 items like gift cards from local businesses and, most popularly, local artists. For next year we will work to get even more artists. The auction is a lot of work: asking for donation, collecting them, making bid sheets with descriptions of each item, displaying the items at the event, and finally closing out the sales. It is well worth it: ours brought in upwards of $3,000!

Volunteers I planned the event and gave specific jobs to helpers. I met with 2 people to review the plans in advance. The day before, I had 2 people help set up space. The day of, I had 3 people helping most of the day. I then had 2 friends at the registration table, 1 the info table, 1 at the food area, 1 the auction area, and 1 to make announcements/intro me. This system meant that I was in control because people had specific tasks. Next year maybe a committee and delegate more? The night of the event I was kind of useless and mingling so it was great that the event jobs, besides presenting, were not mine.

Menu. We planned for 100 and had 65. We had ½ food left. We went with water and wine: 2 cases red and 2 white. We had 1000 pieces of food or 10 per person for a 3 hour event. There were 5 main items:

1. Crackers and two cheese and grape; Crudite (peppers, carrots, cukes, celery, tomatoes), chips, Pretzels and salsa + 3 dips

2. 250 sandwiches

3. 150 mini quiches

4. 250 meatballs

5. 200 desserts.

Too much food and next year we will do less.

Presentation. I planned to give a short talk and show a 2.5 minute video that shows life in Laos. This was the one glitch. The audio didn’t work, so I had to narrate on the fly. Having given 3 talks in a month, and practiced a lot for those, it was fine. But that is another area to check.