Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

This month, over a million people have been critically affected by floods and landslides in Myanmar. An estimated 300,000 households have been displaced by the crisis. This includes 62,500 women and girls of reproductive age and 12,500 pregnant women. Due to the lack of access to health care created by the flooding and consequent landslides, many of these women and girls are at higher risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, distributes clean birth kits during humanitarian emergencies.  By providing basic essentials – sterile gloves, soap, blanket, plastic sheet, razor blade, and umbilical cord tie – the kits help to prevent infection. They keep mothers and their new born babies safe and healthy until they receive full medical care.

For only $11 you can provide 3 emergency clean birthing kits to help deliver babies safely in crisis situations.

After the flooding in Myanmar, UNFPA has distributed more than 400 clean birthing kits to pregnant women in the hardest hit areas of the country.

In addition to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, UNFPA remains dedicated to helping women and girls in areas of Nepal still devastated by the earthquake that struck the country on April 25^th. So far, UNFPA has helped to deliver reproductive health supplies to assist over 61,000 people in the country.  

Work in Nepal has gone beyond the delivery of supplies as well. UNFPA has trained 130 health care personnel on the clinical management of rape and has reached over 5,000 women and girls with psychosocial counseling, a critical component of post-crisis recovery as cases of sexual violence soar in the aftermath of a disaster. Through its support of reproductive health camps, UNFPA has delivered life-saving health services to areas hardest hit by the disaster. In fact, 93 such camps have assisted over 61,000 people so far by bringing doctors, nurses, and midwives to even the most remote locations.

With over 3 million people still living in temporary shelters, more work remains.

A donation of only $25 can provide one woman in a humanitarian setting such as Myanmar or Nepal with hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring that she is able to maintain her dignity and health in emergency situations.

In both Myanmar and Nepal, the distribution of lifesaving clean birthing kits and other essential supplies would not be possible without generous contributions from supporters like you. 

Links:

• Youth spring into action in wake of Myanmar's floods - See more
• Nepal Earthquake: 100 Days into the Humanitarian Responses

8 million people were affected by the devastating earthquake that jolted Nepal on April 25th, 2015, including 126,000 pregnant women. Health facilities are now overwhelmed and medical supplies are being quickly depleted. As a result, thousands of women may give birth in appalling conditions, without access to safe birth services and lifesaving care.

For only $11 you can provide 3 emergency clean birthing kits consisting of a bar of soap, a clear plastic sheet, razor blade, an umbilical cord tie, cloth and latex gloves to help deliver babies safely in crisis situations like the Nepal earthquake.

UNFPA is responding in quake-affected areas with reproductive health kits to support safe birth, as well as dignity kits, which contain hygiene supplies for women and girls of reproductive age. UNFPA and partners are also working to prevent gender-based violence, which is known to increase in the aftermath of disasters.

“I was indoors when the ground started shaking,” said Sabina, who was 3 months pregnant at the time of the earthquake. “Fortunately, I have enough food for now,” she said, “but I need materials that meet my health needs. I need to protect myself and the baby inside me.”

New mothers, including those who are breastfeeding, need special care as well. Rabina is the mother of a 14-month-old boy. Her home, too, was destroyed, and her family is living at a temporary camp. "Even simple supplies like soap, scarves, saris and sanitary pads are so useful at this time,” Rabina said. “I can take better care of my baby if I can take better care of myself."

A donation of just $25 can provide a woman like Rabina with hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring that she is able to maintain her dignity and health in emergency situations.

The earthquake triggered landslides and violent aftershocks that have pushed families out of their houses in the weeks ahead of monsoon season. Even after the crisis garnered international attention, over a million women and girls in Nepal alone remain in need of essential reproductive health care.

With a contribution towards UNFPA’s distribution of clean birthing kits you can provide health and dignity for women and girls in crisis situations around the world. 

Links:

• http://www.unfpa.org/emergencies/earthquake-nepal#