Special projects report

1. Special projects report October 2010, District 15 Fall Conference Darcie Clapp, Special Projects Coordinator

2. Birthing Kit Project “Because every woman has the right to a clean and safe childbirth.”

3. Why? • One hundred and twenty million women give birth every year • 86% deliver in developing countries • 60 million of these are women who either have the assistance of a Traditional Birth Attendant or no assistance at all • Half a million women die annually, many from infection, tetanus and hemorrhaging. • For every woman who dies in childbirth, around another 30 women (15 million) incur injuries and infections, many of which are often painful, disabling, embarrassing and lifelong.

4. What? • Zonta District 15 Clubs who elect to participate in the project will assemble clean birthing kits to be delivered from the USA to Afghanistan or to a prepositioning warehouse in Dubai, Malaysia or Panama and from Canada to Honduras. • Working with ZI to approve our distribution partner: CARE USA and CARE Canada • MOTHERS MATTER – CARE Signature Campaign -Improve access to safe delivery services for 30 million women in Africa, Asia and Latin America by 2015 • 50+ years of experience and success developing and implementing maternal and child health programs • Works directly with women and communities, empowering them with resources and training to ensure that safe birth is a basic human right

5. Where? • Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, estimated at 1900/100,000 live births, and a lifetime risk of maternal death is approximately 1:9. The women are either geographically restricted or culturally not allowed to use health facilities. • In Honduras, only 67% of women receive delivery care. Mothers have a lifetime risk of maternal mortality of 1:93, as reported by UNICEF in a 2005 study

6. How? • Birthing Kits save lives and reduce suffering by providing for a clean birth. There are 7 cleans necessary for a clean birth: • Clean birth site • Clean hands • Clean umbilical ties • Clean cut • Clean eyes • Clean umbilical cord • Clean perineum. • Our Zonta Birthing Kit addresses each of the 7 cleans. All is contained in small Ziploc bag. It is basic, light, small, water resistant and simple to use.

7. Who? • All USA kits will be collected by Darcie Clapp (dclapp@walshenv.com or 616-842-2714) • All Canadian kits will be collected by Gayle Manley (gmanley@shaw.caor 705-949-4614)

8. Cost? Each kit costs approximately US$3.00, including the press seal bag and labels; additional costs will be incurred to ship to destination and for customs-to be split based on the number of kits per club participating.

9. Content? All supplies except scalpel: www.inhishands.com Scalpel: www.pcbsupplies.com

10. Where? When? • It’s up to your club to set up a kit assembly day, order the supplies and get the completed kits to the correct District liaison. • Invite schools and public to help with kit assembly. • Approximately 2000 kits can be completed in 4 hours with 40 workers. • Use the birthing kit program to secure PR for your local club. • Kits are in dire need, CARE expressed interest for 2000+/year.

11. Reusable Menstrual Pads Project “Give a girl EVERY day of her life back.”

12. Project Overview • To provide pads to school aged girls in Africa who, without them, are isolated, do not go to school and often drop out at the age of puberty • The agency making this request and providing delivery of this product is: PROJECT THRIVE -- Days for Girls • In 2009 Zonta Clubs in District 15 sewed 200 pads • An estimated 500 pads will be donated in 2010

13. Mastectomy Pillow Project “The comfort pillow with heart”

14. Project Overview • To provide soft pillows to mastectomy patients to use between their arm and chest during recovery • Completed pillows are donated to local hospitals or the American Cancer Society for distribution • Tally up the number of pillows donated by your club and send to Darcie Clapp dclapp@walshenv.com