Zoe Moffatt
While childbirth in Australia is often filled with excitement, soft toys, new names and family introductions, many women in the developing world do not face this reality.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said maternal mortality is unacceptably high, and disproportionately affects women in low and lower middle-income countries.
Kyneton Zonta Club is working to help reduce these deaths by assembling 800 birthing kits at a special public working bee on August 5.
Zonta Club member and general practitioner Dr Annamarie Perlesz said more than 500,000 women died annually from infections like tetanus caught from giving birth on unclean surfaces or using unclean equipment.
“These kits provide the basis for a clean birth, with a clean mat, gloves, soap, clean blades, gauze and cord ties,” she said.
Since 2004 the Kyneton Zonta Club has assembled over 11,000 kits with the help of local secondary school students and volunteers.
“Our kits have been distributed as far and wide as Ethiopia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Afghanistan, Congo, Indonesia, Kenya and Haiti,” Dr Perlesz said.
“We look forward to welcoming volunteers to assist us at this special and important life-saving event.”
The birthing kits assembled by Zonta clubs around Australia will be distributed to more than 30 countries through local community outreach programs and provided to pregnant women in rural and under-resourced communities.
The event will be held at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Hutton St, Kyneton on Saturday, August 5, from 10am.
According to a WHO report released in February 2023, about 800 women worldwide still die from childbirth-related complications every day.
Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for 70 per cent of maternal deaths and Southern Asia about 16 per cent, the report said.
Most of these complications are preventable and treatable, and the report found access to high quality care in pregnancy, and during and after childbirth, was one of the key factors to decrease mortality.
Details: www.zontakyneton.org.au/
