Two women in Melbourne’s east have gathered 200 women to pack 4000 birth kits for women in Uganda

Jude Brewis and Jane Benson said they both wanted to help make a difference for women giving birth in conditions far worse than what we are used to in Australia. They said they hoped their gesture would make a small difference to the fatality rate of women and their babies in the African country.

On Saturday, October 8 they gathered more than 200 women at a church in Syndal to pack the kits.

“We saw a Facebook feed from World Vision and just couldn’t ignore it. Vision Sisters in association with The Australian Birthing Foundation, is about making a difference in underdeveloped countries, such as Ugandan women during childbirth,” Jude said.

The women then set about raising $20,000 in just a six week period through endeavours such as karaoke, movie and tennis nights and by asking their friends and family to dig deep.

The money raised was enough for 4000 kits.

Each birth kit has six items in it - a plastic black sheet to deliver the baby on, five pieces of gauze to wipe the babies eyes and the mother’s perineum, soap and a pair of gloves for the person delivering the baby, string to tie the umbilical cord and a scalpel blade in a sterile package to cut the umbilical cord.

“For every $30 raised, six kits could be filled as well as the training of a volunteer health worker to assist pre, during and post birth. It is a community effort and not just throw these bags at these women and see you later, but a holistic approach,” Jude said.

Jude said that statistics show that half of Ugandan women deliver their babies alone, without any assistance from a health care worker. She said one in 49 women die in childbirth, compared to five in 100,000 Australian woman.

“These are pretty shocking statistics. We believe we can make a difference so we got off our privileged bums and decided to help our fellow sisters in Uganda out,” Jude said.

On the day, packers had to wear gloves and work under strict conditions to keep the kits sterile. Jude said she and Jane had been overwhelmed by the community’s response to the cause.

“We think it is just women really relating to other women and their needs for the right to have a clean, safe birth. We go to hospital with bunny rugs, nursing pads, baby clothes, and are assisted by highly trained medical staff of obstetricians, midwives in a clean environment, and this little package of six items to these Ugandan women is like gold to them,” she said.

To donate, https://visionsisters.everydayhero.com/au/sisterhood-of-the-birthing-packs