They are people with names and faces. We want to meet these people, hold these babies and in that embrace, know we are making a small difference. There is something powerful about being part of something that is bigger than yourself, a place to give love and connect.  Midwives have an extraordinary place in the care of these women. Through education, teaching, caring and being involved, not just in our own wards in our own hospitals, we can make a difference.

Australia is committed to supporting African governments to improve their progress against the following Millennium Development Goals:

• MDG 4—Reduce child mortality
• MDG 5—Improve maternal health.

In Africa, close to one in seven children dies before the age of 5 and one in 22 women die in childbirth. Contributing factors include high fertility rates due to a lack of access to family planning services, lack of access to newborn care, common diseases (diarrhoea and malaria), and high rates of malnutrition and anaemia in women and children. Access to health services is constrained by mobile populations and lack of trained health personnel. Strong health systems are needed to save lives and keep women and children well.

Our Goal is to achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 by doing out part to:

• improve neonatal resuscitation (the Golden Minute),
• reduce obstructed and prolonged labour
• improve hygiene
• improve post-natal observation of newborns.

Along with those goals we need the correct equipment and training, education and the passion to see them through. Jan Becker (RN/RM) is a certified instructor in Neonatal Resuscitation in developing 3rd world countries and remote and rural areas. She intends to reduce child mortality by improving neonatal resuscitation.

In order to support this goal Jan needs the appropriate equipment. Warm and dry blankets for the baby to be secure in, with a beanie to give it just that little extra warmth; gloves, eye ointment to prevent post-natal ocular (eye) infections, clamps (that work correctly) in order to prevent exsanguination, etc.

Every dollar added together makes a difference.

Every beanie is another warm baby.

Every tube of ointment is another 20 babies without unnecessary eye infections.