Zonta Club Adelaide Hills Assembly Day 2003History
1995 - the actor Sally Field speaks at the 5th World Conference on Women's Health in Beijing on how a simple clean birthing kit costing $1 when used in a home birth in a developing country can save the life of a baby and mother by reducing the risk of infection.
1999 - Dr Joy O'Hazy, a doctor and member of the Zonta Club of Adelaide Hills, devises the simple birthing kit which is still in use today. With the enthusiasm and commitment from the Adelaide Hills Zonta club members the production of kits started and has never waned.
2003 - the project was accepted by Zonta International District 23 clubs as a District project.
2004 - Zonta International District 24 took on the project. Production was now Australia wide. The project also received 2 years funding from AusAID (the Australian Government's international aid section), with personal support from the HON Alexander Downer MP, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs.
2004-5 The Birthing Kit Project involved facilitating and suppling clean birthing kits ensuring they arrived at their endorsed destinations. The processes for reliable, cost effective supplies and transport were established and achieved a 97% success rate with the birthing kits arriving at their sometimes very remote destinations.
2006 - The Birthing Kit Foundation Australia (BKFA) is established. Based on the outcomes of the initial monitoring visits in 2006 the BKFA expanded its scope to include provincial health authorities and five day health, nutrition, hygiene and birth attendant training programmes designed and established to complement the supply of the clean birthing kits. These programmes have proved to be invaluable in poor communities with knowledge around health, hygiene and birthing embedded for the long term.
2007 - 08 Saw the supply of birthing kits and community development programmes continued, with the goal of achieving, within targeted countries, self-sustainable kit production. In specific countries the BKFA aims within a five year time frame, to have all birthing kits made in-country and training programmes funded locally.
2008 - 09 With 28,000 locally made birthing kits in Hanoi (19,000 of them paid for by a local organisation) these goals were successfully realised in 2008-09 and were the first steps towards self-sustainability of the Birthing Kit Project in Viet Nam. Particularly well received were the five day health training programmes delivered in three different provinces with one programme in Southern Viet Nam being wholly funded by another high end organisation located in Ho Chi Minh City.
2009 The BKFA plans to direct its future attention and resources targeting specific countries, within the Asia-Pacific and Africa region, with high maternal mortality rates (MMR) 1 including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, India, Laos, Chad, and Nigeria. The BKFA will continue to support its smaller programmes.
Since inception 800,000 kits have been delivered to some of the poorest women in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Over 7,800 women have received training in basic health, hygiene and safe birth practices. Hundreds of Assembly Days have been held by Zontians and other community groups.
Zonta is still the backbone of the project, with its huge commitment via Assembly Days and fundraising. The 6 Directors of the Board are all dedicated volunteers. Three part-time staff handle the work involved in the day to day management.
Key stakeholders in the Birthing Kit Project are the Australian Government, in country regional government health authorities, NGOs, midwives, health workers, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and their communities. The direct beneficiaries of the Birthing Kit Project and work of the BKFA are the women giving birth in rural and remote regions and their babies.
While we have no accurate statistics of how many lives have been saved or how many women have avoided infection by the provision of a safe, clean birthing site we know it must number into the thousands.
BKFA passes AusAID Acquittal with 149,200 kits made from July 08 – June09. Approximately 2600 Village Health Nurses / TBAs were trained in Vietnam and 100 TBAs in Kenya. Nearly 30,000 kits made in-country in Vietnam as the BKFA works toward sustainability.
October 2009 receives $150,000 from AusAID through the Community Call 2 Action (CC2A) program with an emphasis on educating the Australian public about the UN Millennium Development Goals.
2010 - Zonta clubs are still funding and making the majority of kits.
BKFA director Julie Monis-Ivett attends the Zonta International Convention in San Antonio, USA, to showcase the Birthing Kit Project and deliver kits, brochures and the film to interested Zontians at club and ZI executive level.
The BKFA achieves OAGDS which is TAX DEDUCTIBILITY for donations.
With the CC2A funds the BKFA Film “Addressing the Millennium Development Goals” is produced along with a new A3 Information PR Folder, powerpoint presentation and brochures that are posted to all Zonta clubs. The DVD is available on request.
Over 700,000 kits now made and over 7500 traditional birth attendants now trained at health training programs in Vietnam, Kenya, India and Ethiopia.
In country kit production grows with 3,360 kits made in Ethiopia by Afar Pastoralist Development Association, 2000 kits in DR Congo by Mission in Health Care and Development and 9000 kits for Hoa Binh in Vietnam. In country kit production is finalised with staff at the Fistula Hospital with 10,000 kits to be made using a $20,000 Rotary International donation.
Monitoring in Ethiopia sees many highlights to programs supported there. Traditional Birth Attendants in many rural regions of Ethiopia after attending our training programs conducted by Valerie Browning are stopping Female Circumcision, even TBAs who had performed it for 40 years. Harmful practices associated with childbirth are addressed and with education new safe childbirth practices are commenced.
2011 - Zonta clubs are continuing to work with schools to make kits.
Over 900,000 kits now made and over 8000 birth attendants trained.
In country kit production involving 3000 kits being made for Ha Giang Province Vietnam is the next step towards the Provincial Health Authorities commitment to producing their own kits within two years.
PR and Fundraising has developed with more websites supporting our work and recommending individuals support our programs. We are on more donation websites internationally and locally. The Gift card option for personalised messages in cards has been popular especially around Mother’s day.
The 7 PM Project on July 20 had a Good News section which showcased our project. This generated much interest from volunteers wanting to support our project and new initiatives to assist these people fundraise were introduced onto the website. The DVD is available on request.
A Bequest booklet has been developed to enable long term sustainability of the BKFA.
The BKFA is working towards AusAID accreditation where funding is allocated for 5 years at a time for financial stability and continuity of programs.