In Australia, it is easy to forget sometimes just how lucky
we really are. Few times in our lives is this more noticeable than when you’re
having a baby. We have access to excellent pre-natal care, with skilled
midwives and obstetricians, ultra-sounds, (which are much more important than
just getting cute photos) and if something does go wrong help isn’t more than a
phone-call away.
Yet around the world, millions of women do not have access
to this. As many as 385,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth each year;
that’s around one woman every two minutes. The causes of maternal death are
usually high blood pressure during pregnancy, complications during childbirth
or severe bleeding and infections contracted during labour.
In Australia there
are around 7 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. That puts us right down
the bottom, with the Scandinavian countries. To put that into perspective, in countries
such as Ghana and Ethiopia that number climbs all the way to 350. Yet, in South
Sudan that figure is a staggering 2054 deaths per 100,000 live births. [1]
Similarly, in Chad 1 in every 15 women will die from
complications in pregnancy or delivery. [2]
The saddest thing is that nearly all of these deaths are
preventable, with access to the right maternal healthcare. Together we can make
a difference to the lives of these women. Organisations such as the Birthing
Kit Foundation of Australia do amazing work providing education and birthing
kits to women in developing countries; but they can’t do it without us!
So tomorrow, the Wom*n
of the USU Program would like to invite you to join us in making birthing kits to
send overseas to women in Africa, India, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
The event will be from 1pm to 3pm in the Holme Common Room;
please come along even if you can only make it for twenty minutes between
classes. There will even be pizza provided at the end for our fantastic
volunteers.
To find out more about the event visit Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/885855994787100/
And to find out more about the great work of the Birthing
Kit Foundation of Australia head to their website: https://www.bkfa.org.au/
Looking forward to seeing you there,
KATE BULLEN
WOMEN'S PORTFOLIO HOLDER - BOARD DIRECTOR
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