Why are Clean Birth Kits needed?

This year approximately 1 million women and infants will die of infection after birth. For every woman who dies 30 more suffer a debilitating illness or permanent disability. Many of these deaths are preventable by providing education about clean birthing practices and Clean Birth Kits, which promote and enable clean birth.

In Laos, where Cleanbirth.org is focused, 80% of births occur at home and only 20% have a skilled attendant present.  Maternal and infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world.  Cleanbirth.org is providing clean birth kits and training to a non-profit in the remote Salavan Province in southern Laos in the hopes of giving moms and babies a fighting chance at life.

Do Clean Birth Kits prevent maternal/infant deaths?

The WHO and United Nations have recommended CBKs for decades. According to Blencowe et al (reference) “A systematic review identified 30 studies showing that clean birth practices can substantially reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity from infection-related causes, including tetanus.”

Clean Birth Kits are designed to provide birth attendants and/or expecting moms with the tools they need to ensure a clean birthing environment.

What is in a Clean Birth Kit?

The Kits ensure the WHO’s “6 Cleans”: clean hands, clean perineum, clean delivery surface, clean cord cutting implement, clean cord tying, and clean cord care.

Each kit is sterile and composed of hospital grade supplies, including:

Sacuanjoche International School,opening in August 2012

This is great news for families with kids K-2 relocating to Granada.  I found the pre-school/Kindergarten to be a wonderful place and I have no doubt that this school will be built on the same loving foundations.

I have begun a project in Saravan, Laos to train community health workers about hygienic birth and using clean birth kits. My project will cover the cost of training, distribution and the actual kits, which help to decrease infant and maternal deaths resulting from birth-related infection and sepsis.

In Laos has very high maternal and infant mortality, 80% of births occur at home, and only 20% have a trained attendant.  Saravan (Salavan) is remote and poor.  These simple kits will provide women and babies with a better chance of avoiding infection.

Please consider a donation.  Click http://cleanbirth.org/ for more on clean birth kits or to donate.

We stayed at a Comfort Suites ,which was a bit out of town, and enjoyed the 2 rooms, free breakfast and pool.  But to be honest, it wasn’t that the place was so great — it was that Nadya was so great.  While I was at my training, she and Max explored Richmond, swam for hours, enjoyed the Science Museum (free w membership at Yale Peabody, New Haven), hit a from what I’ve heard fabulous playground, napped, et…

On the way back, we stopped in NYC for a birthday party.  Max dropped us off (he headed to JFK to pick up Nikolai, 6, and my parents) at the restaurant and we proceeded to enjoy a couple hours with my closest friends and their offspring.  In the evening , Nadya and I took a taxi to Metro North at 125th and SHARED one of those one-r seats.  She never complained.  No meltdowns, no tears.  Just the two of us, taking on the world.

So exhausting but also empowering.  In our little family, we are all officially appropriate ages for unscripted travel.  Not that it stopped us in the past:)

We only want to do it for a year..we will find local opportunities for education as well.  But we want the kids to be on track when we get back.  Here’s one family’s thoughts: http://familyonbikes.org/resources/school.htm

During my search to see what yoga is being taught in elementary schools, I found a pdf flier from Radiant Yoga that gives teachers an idea of yoga poses to do with their class.  Complete with pictures and explanations.  Well done!

For my part, I will probably teach a modified class that moves quicker with funnier commentary.  I know there will be giggling etc… — which is 100% and no different from many adults that I teach:)

I found these two schools for the kids.  For my child who will be in kindergarten the excellent Sacuanjoche Waldorf school http://www.freunde-waldorf.de/en/projekte/nicaragua/granada/r/nicaragua-3/p/nicaragua-grenada-waldorf-kindergarten.html.  I got such a great vibe from the teachers and the parent who toured me around.  My daughter will be immersed in Spanish but a teacher who speaks English is always on hand to help out.

The school for my son who will be in 2nd grade is called Mont Berkeley International School.  There were 2  current students (of perhaps 50 kids) that are native English speakers.  Half the instruction is in English and half in Spanish. The school is a little outside the downtown but they provide transportation.  I hope that Nikolai likes this school — it’s much less of a slam dunk than the other one.  As long as he is happy and learns Spanish, that will be plenty.  We’ll supplement.

It was a perfect storm of locals being very patient and speaking very little English, the emergence of my high school Spanish from the depths of my brain, and the language being …well…really easy.  The first few days, while trying to conjure Spanish I was blurting out Russian words to the confusion of those around me.  But by the end of the first week I was talking and understanding.

Don’t get me wrong my Spanish is baaaad.  But I could communicate and take taxis and order food and be friendly and talk about my kids, my husband, where I live, what I do etc…

It made me feel even more certain that the kid will learn Spanish in the year we plan to be there.  And even those of us with less elastic brains will be fairly fluent.  What a great thing!

Massage costs around $25 (oh Thailand…sigh) and an okay facial was $10.

On my (frequent) trips to the very swanky La Colonia supermercado, I noted prices of things we buy — prices in USD.

$2 Yogurt

$0.75 900ML Milk in bag

$4-5 Shampoo/Conditioner (imported)

$1.50 Package hotdogs

$3 Jam

$2 Tea

$5 Soy sauce

$2-3 Box of pasta

$2 Dozen eggs

$2 6-pack bagels

$2.50/lb chicken breast