Birthing Kits
Birthing kits provide the essential items to promote a safe, clean delivery and to encourage good aftercare. We assemble approximately 1000 kits each year and deliver them to World Vision. They become part of a larger shipment of kits that are shipped to various African countries.
What is in a birthing kit?
Plastic – 1 m x 1 m or 36″ x 36″
Soap
Gloves, 2 per kit
3 pieces of umbilical cord tie, or 2 clamps
Scalpel/razor blades if cord is used
Gauze- 5 small squares
Fall 2024 Birthing Kit Assembly
The Zonta Club of Hamilton1 hosted about 40 volunteers assembled 800 emergency birthing kits on October 5. It was fun to connect with old friends, to meet new ones and work on a project that will save lives — all at the same time.
Our volunteers were Zonta members, friends, family, community minded folks and our McMaster University Golden Z president and another member plus international students.
The kits will be delivered by World Vision. We know that countries in Africa will receive them, but currently we do not know which countries. World Vision sends them to countries with the most need and where they are distributed by clinics.
Feedback from World Vision has been that mothers in rural settings come to the clinics for kits and often receive checkups and other support while there that they might not have had.otherwise.
The gloves and gauze were donated by Marchese Pharmacy; soap was donated by Fairfield by Marriott on Upper James. Donations were also made by Zonta members. The rest of the materials were paid for by the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1, through our fundraising efforts.
The practice of assembling emergency birthing kits was introduced by an Australian Zonta Club and is now an annual event held by many Zonta clubs in the world to reduce infant and mother mortality.
We will be holding another birthing kit assembly event in the fall of 2015. If you’re interested please contact us.
