Picking and packing to save mums and babes

WHAT does a piece of gauze, a plastic sheet, some cotton cord, a bar of soap, a pair of gloves and a sharp blade have in common?

They are the items that make up a birthing kit packed by Zonta Club Ballarat volunteers and Ballarat Grammar students on the club’s annual assembly day.

Val Sarah, Zonta Club of Ballarat Board Director, said about 300,000 women and over two million newborn babies die each year from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

“The simple items we are packing in the kit go a long way to helping address these disturbing statistics,” she said.

Ms Sarah said this is one of the major causes that Zonta Australia supports each year.

Once the kits are complete, they are handed over to Birthing Kit Foundation Australia for distribution, free of charge, to women around the world, in particular in East Africa and South Asia.

Each item in the kit serves a specific purpose. The sheet provides mothers and babies with a clean surface, the ties are used to seal the umbilical cord once the sterile blade has been used to cut it cleanly.

Zonta members, students, mums and teachers are gathered along the table amongst chat and laughter.

Karin Miller, Head of Careers at Ballarat Grammar, said the students are involved as part of their community service program.

“I’ve been sitting here comparing birth experiences with some of the mums,” she said. “Very different experience to the mothers who will receive these packs.

“We’ve also been discussing the possibility of some fundraising through the school to purchase more of the components for birthing kits.

“More of our students wanted to be involved but we only had 200 kits to fill.”

Zonta Ballarat only had the funds to purchase this many this year.

Ms Sarah said Zonta Club of Brisbane Breakfast holds the Australian record for filling kits.

“They packed 15,000 in one day,” she said.