Posted bythirdeyemom
— 17 Comments

This week as part of World Moms Blog where I am a writer and editor for our social good column, we are participating in our second annual campaign to support fellow World Moms Blog writer Kristyn Zalota’s non-profit organization CleanBirth.org which saves lives of mothers and their newborns in Laos.  Partnering with Multicultural Kids Blog and Girls Globe, we are coming together to help CleanBirth.org launch their crowd funding campaign to raise $7,500 to help train more midwives and provide sterilized birth kits to mothers in Laos.

What is so amazing about Kristyn’s story is how she saw a problem half-way around the world and decided to change it.  As an avid traveler and a doula, Kristyn saw firsthand through her visits in the developing world how many mothers and children die during childbirth from simply lacking a safe, sterile birth. Inspired to make a difference Kristyn began CleanBirth.org and two years later she has seen remarkable results and has saved many lives.
easelly_visual-3-596x768

Here is an amazing video on Kristyn and why she started CleanBirth:

 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. – CleanBirth.org

So how does CleanBirth.org work?  For $5 CleanBirth.org provides a mother with all the hygienic birthing supplies she needs to make birth safe.  They also train nurses and Village Volunteers to teach mothers about safe birthing practices. In Laos, 80-90% of mothers give birth at home and many without proper supplies to ensure a safe, hygienic birth. Here is where CleanBirth.org comes in.

CleanBirth infographic

Why I find CleanBirth.org so remarkable is how incredibly easy and cost effective it is to save a life. Look at the story of Yai below. Her last baby died from an infection caused by an unsafe birth. CleanBirth.org was able to provide Yai with a hygienic kit for $5 before the birth of her next child which not only saved the mother but also her child.

$5 can save two lives. 

CleanBirth

What you can do to help?

  • Please contribute if you can to this great cause www.startsomegood.com/cleanbirth.  $5 Saves 2 Lives.”
  • Please share this post with social media and/or participate in our twitter chat (details below).

Screen Shot 2014-02-05 at 11.57.05 AMAbout Kristyn Zalota, Founder & President of CleanBirth.org

MA Yale Univeristy, BA Holy Cross

Kristyn holds a MA, has run small businesses in Russia and the US, and has volunteered in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Uganda on projects related to women’s empowerment.

After having children, Kristyn became an advocate for mothers in the US, as a doula and Lamaze educator, and abroad, as the Founder of CleanBirth.org.

17 comments

    1. Yes it is really crazy. I realize how much we take for granted. I can’t imagine birthing my children alone with no help! Amazing what $5 can do to help save lives.

      Reply

    1. Thanks Sally. The woman behind this organization is amazing. She is a mom of two children, a doula and has an MA from Yale in Foreign Policy and began this NGO all on her own. She is so impressive!

      Reply

  5. Reblogged this on Morning Angel and commented:
    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… For $5 CleanBirth.org provides a mother with all the hygienic birthing supplies she needs to make birth safe….That’s how you can save a life!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.