Only 38% of women in rural areas in Kenya give birth in medical facilities. Yet, 90% of women bring their newborns in for routine vaccinations. Commonly cited reasons for giving birth at home include lack of money for transportation, rapid onset of labour, cultural barriers, family tradition, shame, myths. Deaths of girls and women from childbirth and other pregnancy-related causes remain high in Kenya, with 7,000 maternal and 35,000 infant deaths each year.
The health risks associated with giving birth at home go well beyond delivery. When mothers give birth at home, their babies often start their immunizations late and tend to miss out on critical vaccinations, such as polio and Rota. Since HIV is usually detected in pre-natal screening or during labor, giving birth in a medical facility would allow the clinic to coach the mother on a long-term treatment program and how to breastfeed the newborn without passing on the virus.
To reduce maternal and infant mortality rates with an incentive gift for mothers to give birth in hospital.
The gift is a postnatal care bag with products and health information, which we fund by selling Do Right bracelets online, in stores, at weekly markets and pop-up shops in Nairobi. Our bracelets are made by incarcerated young women and mothers in Kenya.
100% of your purchase goes to pay for a postnatal bag that can save a life.
1 - 98% of mothers who received a Do Right bag say that they would be more likely to give birth in a clinic again because of the bag.
2 - Since the program began, more mothers have been giving birth in clinics, and the number of cases of home births (estimated by the number of mothers who came to the clinic for their newborn’s inoculations but did not give birth in the clinic) has decreased.
3 - 96% of mothers said they were very satisfied with the Do Right program, and 94% said they would recommend the program to their friends.
4 - 72% of mothers receiving Do Right bags were previously unfamiliar with the information provided in the maternity pamphlet.
"The maternity kits are very popular with the mothers and the broader community. They do something to encourage even women who do not come to the clinic for births, because of fear of being caught for illegal circumcision, to come. It seems that all the items in the package are helpful and used. There is special mention of the excellent quality of the blankets. "
Nurse May Makau
Shella Dispensary Lamu County