CleanBirth - Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos
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We had a successful visit to 5 clinics and a number of villages in Tahoy District, Salavan Province — the furthest about 40 miles from the Lao-Vietnam border.
The people were very curious about what we were doing there. They enjoyed seeing pictures from our last trip.
The nurses from our November training were glad we were back with more kits — and they told us the the women were pleased with the kits. They themselves felt good that the births were cleaner.
Here are shots from the day:
So we’ve sent the nurses back to their clinics with the kits!
The nurses will take the kits out to the villages on their scheduled bi-monthly visits. Since only 10-20% give birth in the clinic, they understand that bringing the kits to the villages is critical.
We’ve set up clear reporting procedures, so we can collect data. First, each nurse has a record book to record each mother’s info (12 items) before and after birth. They will also send monthly texts indicating # of kits distributed that month and how many post-partum interviews were conducted.
As another way to check the progress, we are paying one OVA staffer to spend 3 days per month talking to the nurses and villagers of each District about the progress of the kits. Your donated cameras will provide the pictures!
Finally, we are so happy to fund Noy’s work for CleanBirth.org. In her brilliant English, she will email nurses’ texted information and updates/pictures from the field. She will also coordinate the CleanBirth.org-funded re-stock of kits on December 20th. That day all 15 nurses will return to OVA HQ, show their record book, receive kits, a food/transport per diem, and a 120,000 kip ($30) “texting bonus.”
An absolutely wonderful training that exceeded my expectations. We have empowered these nurses to make birth safer in the over 100 villages that they serve!
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.
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.”
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!!