Internet project tackles childbirth losses

The protection of Rwandan mother and children during childbirth is the focus of a new internet collaboration between the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Rwandan Ministry of Health and the Netaid.org - a body whose aim is to use the power of the internet to help end extreme poverty. The Mother and Baby Survival Project allows internet users to support Rwandan mothers, newborns and the traditional birth attendants who
help them, according to details of the project posted on the internet site. Donations will be used to offer medical kits at a nominal fee to delivering mothers or local health centres; the fees will then be used to establish a local funding cycle to finance future purchases the kits and to train birth attendants, the statement said. The project aims to break the cycle whereby women in Rwanda have a one in nine chance of dying
during pregnancy and childbirth (compared with one in 3,700 in North America), and there are 65 deaths per 1,000 live births (compared with 10 per 1,000 in the US), according to the statement. Some 159 basic newborn kits have been donated so far. [for additional details, see: http://app.netaid.org/SurvivalProject]