Birthing Kits - providing a clean and safe birth

Living Child Inc is a charitable organisation that has developed out of a response to the stories of suffering from the people in remote villages of the Keram River area in Angoram District, and the East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea.

Women and babies are dying at an alarming rate, access to health services is challenging and costly, and there are few trained health professionals. Men are left widowers and children left motherless. BKFA have partnered with Living Child Inc. with the aim of strengthening maternal and newborn health services in these regions.

In November 2021, Living Child Inc. staff travelled to a remote community and held focus groups with the Village Birth Attendants (VBA) to receive feedback on their needs and experiences. Individuals from the community see the Birthing Kits as a key resource, and staff were happy to provide us with the following anecdotes from the Field.

“Sometimes we are not able to go to a labour ward when assisting women in giving birth, and instead we go to the bush. It is here we use the clean birthing kits, however when it’s an emergency we just use anything like leaf, or women give birth on the grass. Sometimes we feel happy to do our job, but sometimes we are not happy to do the job because we attend to mothers who deliver in the bush. This is dangerous and sometimes life is lost.”

“I am one of the VBA who was not close to the health centre. I live faraway in a village called Longuk. Sometimes when a mother goes into labour, I have no birthing kits so I just put the leaf on the ground and they give birth. If there is no blade to cut the umbilical cord, I sharpen bamboo and then cut it”.

“We thank you, you brought birthing kits to us and we use them for pregnant mothers. When we use these, it helps to save the lives of mothers. For that we are thankful”.

Photos provided by Living Child Inc.