Staff from Playford Council in South Australia are making their contribution to women all over the world.
Building on the tremendous work of the Year of Women in Local Government Fund Raising Group last year, a group of staff got together, to raise funds for the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia.
The project was launched on March 8 this year on the 150th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
Since then the group has raised $1200, which enabled them to buy the materials required for 600 kits, and on October 26, Universal Children’s Day, 28 volunteers assembled the kits to be sent to Non-government organisaions in Madagascar where they will be distributed to women in remote areas.
Volunteers included staff from Playford Council, Elizabeth Centrelink, Playford Primary Health, John Hartley Children’s Centre, and community members.
Playford Mayor Glenn Docherty was pleased to see such a great response to such a good cause.
"At Playford we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the community, so it is important to see that we can also reach out to other parts of the world, and help improve other communities and lives right from the start."
The project was inspired by the large number of babies that staff members of the City of Playford have been blessed with over the last couple of years.
Fortunately these babies have been delivered in clean, safe conditions attended by highly qualified practitioners.
This is not the case for many women in developing countries.
Half a million die each year in child birth and another 15 million incur illness and injury as a result of unsafe birthing practices.
Each birthing kit is comprised of six items: a pair of gloves, a scalpel, a one metre square piece of black plastic, string, gauze and a piece of soap.
These small items make a huge difference as they enable women to give birth cleanly.
The kits provide for a safe and clean birthing environment, thereby reducing the likelihood of the mother and baby contracting infections such as tetanus.
They also reduce the risk to midwives.
In Kenya, Vietnam and Ethiopia many mothers with HIV/AIDS get no assistance during childbirth, however midwives will assist infected women with the use of the birthing kit.
