The Birthing Kit Project

Each year the Adelaide Torrens Zonta Club assembles between 1000-2000 Birthing Kits.

The concept of the Birthing Kit began in 1995, when Adelaide Doctor, Joy O’Hazy, attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and heard Sally Field speaking about a similar kit she had seen in Nepal. With the idea that hygiene was key to improving maternal and newborn survival in low resource settings, Joy developed the Birthing Kit – a small zip-lock bag containing six basic and clean items to be distributed to women and birthing attendants in low-resource and emergency settings.

In partnership with the Adelaide Hills Zonta Club, Joy and the dedicated volunteers began assembling and distributing these simple kits around the world. The scale and impact of this project continued to grow and what was once known as the Zonta Birthing Kit Project transformed into the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia in September 2006

What is in a Birthing Kit?

Disposable Delivery Kits are recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an essential tool for use by birth attendants when a delivery occurs outside of a designated facility, particularly in emergency settings.

Visit the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia website for more information on this amazing initiative.