CleanBirth - Saving Mothers and Babies in Laos
CleanBirth.org - Donate $5 Saves 2 Lives
Woo-hoo!
“We have selected your social enterprise pitch for presentation at the Unite For Sight 11th annual Global Health & Innovation Conference at Yale University on April 12-13, 2014. We receive many excellent submissions, and the selection process is competitive.”
This will be a great chance to network with people in the know about global health!
We are so pleased to announce our newest Business Sponsor:UCHI .
Started by a former critical care nurse, UCHI focuses on nurturing through design. They offer LuvDub Kangaroo Care Wrap (patent pending), stylish nursing covers and baby carriers.
We are so thrilled to get the support of a nurse who has developed products that care for newborns and new moms.
Check out http://www.uchimama.net/ for more information about their beautiful products. We are so grateful that a portion of each purchase will go toward making birth safer in Laos.
Yeah! Pictures from the villages where our kits are being distributed. And data too!
Three staffers of our Lao partner organization, Our Village Association, are tasked with assisting in the distribution of kits, tracking of data, and training of CleanBirth Volunteers.
Ms. Noi coordinates all of our efforts and communicates with CleanBirth.org directly. Mr Phomma works with nurses and villagers in Saravan District and Lao-ngarm District; Mr Haleuy does the same in Tahoy District.
Mr. Haleuy took these great pictures of life in this village.
The nurses in each of our 14 clinics are tasked with texting the number of Clean Birth Kits they have distributed each month.
Ms. Noi has reported that so far in September we have heard from 7 clinics about the number of kits that they distributed in August.
– Naborn Clinic: gave 21
– Kokbok Clinic: gave 16
– Tahouak Clinic: gave 6
– Kuaset Clinic: gave 7
– Pachoudorn Clinic: gave 2
– Daxia Clinic: gave 7
– Thoumleethong Clinic: gave 1
Ms. Noi will be calling the other 7 nurses to get their data.
Last month 4 clinics were cut off communication-wise by rain, but all nurses will need to show their data in December to recieve more kits and their stipend.
Thanks to the 3 OVA staffers we can see that data is being collected and the kits are being used!
We still haven’t heard from 3 clinics.
Why? Noi, our on the ground tracker, says, “because of the rain made the communication more difficult.”
Makes you realize how remote these places really are when all communication ceases due to rain.
Today, on this 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, I am reflecting on prejudice and it’s effect on a child’s life.
His dream should be our dream for kids worldwide:
“…I have a dream
That my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
The potential of a child should never be determined by their skin color, gender, or country of birth. But it is…everyday worldwide. From the US to Laos.
In the world today, a child’s chance of survival and growth greatly depends on where they are born.
We must fight to ensure that every baby survives infancy, gets proper nutrition and grows to be a healthy child, goes to school and learns, and is able to reach her potential.
We must not think that poor children are different from our own, we must not stick our heads in the sand and ignore the injustice.
CleanBirth.org’s work in Laos is aimed at giving the poorest children the best chance of surviving birth. While this is an important step, we must do more to support medical and nutritional care for children. For example, we should train our CleanBirth Volunteers to address nutrition in their communities, where more than half of children are malnourished and suffer stunted growth.