Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

The ongoing conflict in South Sudan means many women in the young country are left without access to reproductive health care, making them especially vulnerable during childbirth. As in every emergency situation, 1 in 5 women are likely to be pregnant and according to estimates by UNFPA, 200,000 women are in need of essential maternal care.

For as little as $11, UNFPA can protect three women and their babies by providing them with clean birthing kits consisting of a bar of soap, a clear plastic sheet, a razor blade, an umbilical cord tie, a cloth and latex gloves to aid the safe delivery of babies in crisis situations.

After escaping from violence, Teresa found herself with no food, water or shelter and a toddler to care for. Her traumatic situation worsened while on her way to a nearby village by boat. Midway through the journey the boat capsized. Unable to swim and 6 months pregnant, Teresa was carried to the shore along with her 2 year old son. When she arrived at a civilian camp she went to a UNFPA supported clinic to ensure her baby was still healthy.

“They gave me medicine, education and appointments. They helped me find a place to live and gave me some food.” UNFPA ensured that Teresa had all the medical attention she required – she needed a cesarean-section due to a back condition she suffered from.

She was fortunate enough to give birth in a UN hospital. Many other women living in similar camps in South Sudan, however, do not have access to these facilities. A donation of $25 will supply a woman with hygiene essentials for six months, enabling her to maintain her dignity even during conflict.

For refugee women living in crisis situations such as those in South Sudan, complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disease and for new mothers like Teresa. Basic necessities and family support may be non-existent. Please consider making a generous donation that could save the lives and brighten the futures of women throughout the world.

As the number of families living in the Jalozai camp in Pakistan increases due to military operations in other parts of the country, conditions are becoming more cramped and even less sanitary. With the number of those displaced reaching 1 million, of which 74% are women and children, over 36,000 births will take place in the oncoming months.

For Kiran Azeem Kahn, 30, a pregnant mother of five who was forced to flee from her home in Miran Shah, the question of how she will give birth safely in a place where health facilities are overwhelmed and medical staff are lacking is a constant worry. “I was extremely worried, as I left with nothing and had no money for hospital charges,” Ms. Khan said.

For just $11, UNFPA can provide Ms. Khan and two other women with clean birthing kits to help deliver their babies safely and with dignity in crisis situations as well as reduce their fear surrounding this precious time. This simple birthing kit could mean the difference between life and death for both mother and child.

Thankfully, due to your kind donations and the support of UNFPA, Ms. Khan was able to deliver her baby daughter Gul, safely in late July at the UNFPA-supported Zanana Women and Children Teaching Hospital in Bannu City. She said, “I am very happy that I was able to deliver in a hospital, and that I was provided clean delivery and newborn baby kits.”

However, for many of the other pregnant displaced women who have had to take shelter with host families or in public buildings, the future of their and their babies’ health is unclear and only with your help can these women have as safe and clean an experience as Ms. Khan. With a donation of only $25, a woman will receive hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring her health remains in prime condition after giving birth.

UNFPA is aware that women in crises are extremely vulnerable during their pregnancies and in childbirth and with your support has distributed hundreds of clean delivery kits, newborn baby kits and dignity kits with personal hygiene items to protect the displaced women in Pakistan’s Nowshera District.