A simple birth kit for mothers in the developing world | Zubaida Bai

Translator: Belén García Penerbosa Reviewer: Mario Cal

In the next six minutes that you will listen to me,

Nos próximos seis minutos nos que me escoitarán falar,

the world will have lost three mothers

o mundo perderá tres nais

while delivering their babies:

que morrerán no parto:

one, because of a severe complication;

unha, por unha complicación grave;

second, because she will be a teenager

outra, porque será unha adolescente e o seu corpo non estará preparado

and her body will not be prepared for birth;

para dar a luz;

but the third, only because of lack of access to basic clean tools

pero a terceira simplemente morrerá por non ter acceso a instrumental estéril

at the time of childbirth.

no momento do parto.

She will not be alone.

Non estará soa.

Over one million mothers and babies die every single year

Máis dun millón de nais e bebés

morren cada ano en países do terceiro mundo,

in the developing world,

simplemente por non ter acceso a unha hixiene básica

only because of lack of access to basic cleanliness

while giving birth to their babies.

no momento de dar a luz.

My journey began on a hot summer afternoon

A miña viaxe comezou unha calurosa tarde de verán

en India, no 2008,

in India in 2008,

when after a day of meeting women and listening to their needs,

cando despois de verme con mulleres e de escoitar as súas necesidades,

I landed in a thatched hut with a midwife.

fun dar a unha choza de palla, onde estaba unha parteira.

As a mother, I was very curious on how she delivered babies in her house.

Como nai, sentía curiosidade sobre como asistiría alí os partos.

After a deep and engaging conversation with her

Despois dunha interesante conversa

on how she considered it a profound calling to do what she was doing,

sobre o compoñente vocacional como base do seu traballo,

I asked her a parting question:

pregunteille ao despedírmonos:

Do you have the tools that you need to deliver the babies?

"Tes o material necesario para asistir os partos?"

I got to see her tool.

Cheguei a ver o que utilizaba.

"This is what I use to separate the mother and the baby," she said.

"Isto é o que uso para separar a nai e o bebé", dixo.

Unsure of how to react, I held this agricultural tool in my hand in shock.

Sen saber moi ben como reaccionar, collín esta ferramenta agrícola en shock.

I took a picture of this, hugged her and walked away.

Saqueille unha foto, abraceina e marchei.

My mind was flooded with reflections of my own infection

A miña cabeza inundouse de imaxes da infección

that I had to struggle with for a year past childbirth

pola que eu mesma pasara tralo parto e durante un ano despois

despite having access to the best medical care,

a pesares de ter acceso aos mellores coidados médicos.

Tamén recordei unha conversa que tivera con meu pai,

and memories of my conversation with my father,

who had lost his mom to childbirth,

quen perdera a súa nai ao nacer,

on how he thought his life would be so different

sobre o diferente que sería a súa vida

if she would have been just next to him growing up.

se ela estivese ao seu lado.

As a product developer, I started my process of research.

Como creadora de novos produtos, iniciei o proceso de investigación.

I was very excited to find that there was a product out there

Alegreime de atopar a noticia de que había un produto

called the Clean Birth Kit.

chamado "Kit de Nacemento Limpo".

But I just couldn't buy one for months.

Pero non conseguín mercalo en meses.

Só se fabricaban se había fondos dispoñibles.

They were only assembled based on availability of funding.

Finally, when I got my hands on one, I was in shock again.

Ao final, cando o conseguín, quedei estupefacta de novo.

I would never use these tools to deliver my baby, I thought.

Pensei que xamais utilizaría eses utensilios ao dar a luz

But to confirm my instincts, I went back to the women,

Pero para corroborar o que pensaba, acudín de novo ás mulleres,

some of whom had the experience of using this product.

algunhas das cales utilizaran este produto.

Lo and behold, they had the same reaction and more.

De feito, todas pensaban o mesmo.

The women said they would rather deliver on a floor

Dixeron que preferirían dar a luz no chan

than on a plastic sheet that smeared blood all over.

que nunha saba de plástico que enchoupa todo de sangue.

They were absolutely right -- it would cause more infection.

Tiñan toda a razón --empeoraría a infección.

The thread provided was a highway to bacterial infection

O fío que daban era unha autopista para infeccións bacterianas

through the baby's umbilical cord,

a través do cordón umbilical.

and the blade used was the kind that men used for shaving,

A coitela era como a que os homes usan para afeitarse,

e elas non a querían ver nin de lonxe.

and they did not want it anywhere close to them.

There was no incentive for anybody to redesign this product,

Non había un só incentivo para que alguén redeseñase o produto,

because it was based on charity.

porque se baseaba na caridade.

The women were never consulted in this process.

En ningún momento lles consultaron nada ás mulleres.

And to my surprise, the need was not only in homes

E, para a miña sorpresa, este kit non só se usaba en casas,

but also in institutional settings with high-volume births.

senón tamén en institucións cun gran número de partos.

Situations in remote areas were even more daunting.

A situación en zonas remotas era incluso máis aterradora.

This had to change.

Isto tiña que cambiar.

Establecín isto como o centro da miña investigación.

I made this my area of focus.

I started the design process by collecting feedback,

Comecei o proceso de deseño recollendo opinións,

developing prototypes

desenvolvendo prototipos

and engaging with various stakeholders researching global protocols.

e establecendo contacto con accionistas que buscaban protocolos globais.

Con cada un dos prototipos, preguntábaselles ás mulleres a súa opinión

With every single prototype, we went back to the women

to ensure that we had a product for them.

para asegurarnos de que tiñamos un producto apto para elas.

What I learned through this process was that these women,

Durante todo o proceso, aprendín que estas mulleres,

despite their extreme poverty,

a pesar da súa extrema pobreza,

daban unha gran importancia á súa saúde e ao seu benestar.

placed great value on their health and well-being.

They were absolutely not poor in mind.

Non eran en absoluto pobres en coñecemento.

As with all of us, they would appreciate a well-designed product

Como a todos nós, elas saben apreciar un bo produto

developed for their needs.

creado para as súas necesidades.

Despois de varios ciclos de traballo con expertos,

After many iterations working with experts,

medical health professionals

con profesionais médicos da saúde

e coas mesmas mulleres,

and the women themselves,

I should say it was not an easy process at all,

direi que non foi un proceso para nada sinxelo,

but we had a simple and beautiful design.

pero tiñamos un deseño bonito e simple.

For a dollar more than what the existing product was offered for,

Por un dólar máis ca o produto que se ofertaba,

at three dollars, we were able to deliver "janma,"

por só tres dólares, fomos capaces de distribuír o "janma",

un kit de nacemento limpo nunha carteira.

a clean birth kit in a purse.

Janma, meaning "birth," contained a blood-absorbing sheet

Janma, que significa "nacemento", contiña unha saba absorbente

for the woman to give birth on,

para que as mulleres desen a luz sobre ela,

a surgical scalpel, a cord clamp, a bar of soap, a pair of gloves

un bisturí cirúrxico, unha pinza, unha pastilla de xabón, un par de luvas

and the first cloth to wipe the baby clean.

e un pano para limpar o recén nacido.

All this came packaged in a beautiful purse

Todo isto viña nunha bonita carteira

that was given to the mother as a gift after all her hard work,

que se lle daba á nai como regalo despois do traballo que pasou,

that she carried home with pride as a symbol of prosperity.

e que levaba a casa con orgullo e como símbolo de prosperidade.

One woman reacted to this gift.

Unha das mulleres reaccionou a este agasallo.

She said, "Is this really mine? Can I keep it?"

Dixo: "En serio é meu?" "Podo quedarme con el?"

(Risas)

The other one said, "Will you give me a different color

Outra dixo: "Daranme unha cor distinta cando teña o meu próximo fillo?"

when I have my next baby?"

(Risas)

(Laughter)

Better yet, a woman expressed that this was the first purse

Aínda mellor...unha muller dixo

que era a primeira carteira que tiña en toda a súa vida.

that she had ever owned in her life.

The kit, aside from its symbolism and its simplicity,

O bolso, aparte do seu simbolismo e da súa simplicidade,

is designed to follow globally recommended medical protocol

está deseñado para cumprir cos protocolos médicos globais

e servir como ferramenta para cambiar os procedementos

and serves as a behavior-change tool to follow steps one after the other.

e así evolucionar pasiño a pasiño.

It can not only be used in homes, but also in institutional settings.

Non só está pensado para usarse nas casas, senón que tamén en institucións.

To date, our kit has impacted over 600,000 mothers and babies

Ata agora, este bolso axudou a unhas 600.000 nais e aos seus bebés

around the world.

por todo o mundo.

It's a humbling experience to watch these numbers grow,

É unha lección de humildade o ver estas cifras medrar,

and I cannot wait until we reach a hundred million.

e estou desexando ver como se alcanzan os cen millóns.

But women's health issues do not end here.

Pero os problemas de saúde das mulleres non rematan aquí.

There are thousands of simple issues that require low-cost interventions.

Hai miles de asuntos que requiren intervencións de baixo custo.

We have facts to prove that if we invest in women and girls

Temos datos que proban que se se inviste en mulleres e nenas

and provide them with better health and well-being,

e se lles facilita unha mellor saúde e benestar,

parirán unha sociedade máis sá, rica e próspera.

they will deliver healthier and wealthier and prosperous communities.

Temos que comezar por aportar simplicidade e dignidade

We have to start by bringing simplicity and dignity to women's health issues:

aos problemas de saúde das mulleres:

from reducing maternal mortality, to breaking taboos,

dende reducir a mortalidade materna a romper tabús,

to empowering women to take control of their own lives.

darlles forza ás mulleres para que tomen o control das súas vidas.

This is my dream.

Este é o meu soño.

Pero non é posible conseguilo sen involucrar tanto homes como mulleres

But it is not possible to achieve it without engaging men and women alike

from around the world --

de todo o mundo

--si, todos vostedes.

yes, all of you.

I recently heard this lyric by Leonard Cohen:

Hai pouco que escoitei a letra dunha canción de Leonard Cohen:

"Ring the bells that still can ring.

"Toca as campás que aínda poden tocar.

Esquece a túa ofrenda perfecta.

Forget your perfect offering.

En todo hai unha fenda.

There is a crack in everything.

Así é como entra a luz."

That's how the light gets in."

This is my bit of light.

Este é o meu raio de luz.

But we need more light.

Pero precisamos máis luz.

In fact, we need huge spotlights placed in the world of women's health

De feito, precisamos focos enormes que iluminen a saúde das mulleres

if we need a better tomorrow.

se queremos un futuro mellor.

We should never forget that women are at the center of a sustainable world,

Nunca deberiamos esquecernos que as mulleres son o centro

dun mundo sustentable e que non existiriamos sen elas.

and we do not exist without them.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Aplausos)

(Applause)