Saving Babies in
Central Vietnam
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one
million babies die each year from birth asphyxia (eg. the inability to breathe
immediately after delivery). The goal of this project is to minimize infant
mortality caused by asphyxia in rural villages of Central Vietnam.
Within one minute of birth, a baby should be breathing well
or should be ventilated with a bag and mask.
The Golden Minute, taught in ‘Helping Babies Breathe’ (HBB), identifies
the steps that a birth attendant must take immediately after birth to evaluate
the baby and stimulate breathing.
Imagine being pregnant with your 7th child - but
having no living children because all 6 of your previous babies died within
minutes of birth. This is a common story
in developing countries. Worldwide,
approximately 10% of newborns require some assistance after birth. 1% need a full resuscitation but the other 9%
can be saved with simple procedures and equipment. HBB addresses the needs and treatment of the
9%. Many women in rural central Vietnam
do not have access to childbirth in a well-equipped hospital. Countless births are at home, attended by
traditional birth attendants with no equipment and minimal training.
In March of 2015, four HBB Master Trainers will travel to
Central Vietnam to teach HBB. We are all
Registered Nurses from the Chicago area and are partnering with Global
Community Services Foundation (GCSF) - an NGO with a presence in Vietnam - to
offer this training. They have arranged for
us to teach 108 traditional birth attendants (TBA). The women we will be teaching are from small
villages scattered through Central Vietnam.
We will provide each traditional birth attendant with the equipment that
she can use to assist babies in breathing and we will teach them how to use the
equipment and how to sterilize it after each use. We will also train 20 doctors and nurses to
teach HBB and will provide each new trainer with a full training kit as well as
supplies for each of them to train six more traditional birth attendants.
For just $30 we can provide each TBA with a $30
re-sterilizable resuscitation bag and suction device. With just one day of training, the TBA can be
taught to assess the newborn and use the equipment to help babies breathe and
save lives.
For just $100 we can provide each new HBB Trainer with a
newborn manikin, HBB flip chart, a resuscitation bag and a suction device. These supplies can be used repeatedly so that
HBB training can continue and be reinforced in Central Vietnam.
We have already ordered $10,000 worth of supplies, however
the entire trip will cost over $20,000 as we will be paying for a van, a
driver, interpreters, food for the students and housing for the students. The majority of the traditional birth
attendants will walk to class – some may have a walk of 6 to 8 hours. We will provide housing so that they do not
have to walk home after dark.
First United Church of Oak Park has graciously agreed to
partner with us in our endeavor. Checks
can be made payable to ‘First United Church of Oak Park’ with Vietnam noted in
the memo line. This will allow for a
tax-deductable contribution to our project.
Checks should be mailed to:
First United Church of Oak Park,
Attn: Finance
848 Lake Street
Oak Park, Illinois 60301
Donations may also be made on-line at: http://www.firstunitedoakpark.com/giving/. This link will take you to the church
donation web site. You then click on
‘Manage Online Giving’ and choose ‘other’.
Indicate the amount you wish to give and type ‘Vietnam’ in the box. For Gift Frequency choose ‘one time’ from the
drop down menu. The next screen allows
you to put in your credit card information.
We are committed to this project and appreciate any support
you can give. We believe in this project
and want to make a difference. You can
help.
Thank you for providing the support to make our mission
possible.
Harriet Hawkins, Nancy Lins, Amy Rogers, Betsy Rogers,
Warren Udelson
Godspeed, Harriet. I'll be following your journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy!
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