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

譯者: Wilde Luo 審譯者: Kairan Wang

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

在接下來我演講的六分鐘內，

the world will have lost three mothers

世界上會有三位母親

while delivering their babies:

在分娩時死去：

one, because of a severe complication;

一位是因為嚴重的併發症；

second, because she will be a teenager

另一位是因為她尚未成年，

and her body will not be prepared for birth;

她的身體狀況還不足以勝任生產。

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

但是第三位母親， 只是因為在生產的時候

缺少基本的清潔工具。

at the time of childbirth.

She will not be alone.

這樣的情況並不罕見。

Over one million mothers and babies die every single year

在發展中國家，

每年都有超過一百萬的母親和新生兒

in the developing world,

only because of lack of access to basic cleanliness

只是因為生產環境

while giving birth to their babies.

不夠清潔而死亡。

My journey began on a hot summer afternoon

我的旅程始於 2008 年夏天

in India in 2008,

印度的一個炎熱的下午，

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

用一天的時間來認識婦女們 以及傾聽她們的需求後，

I landed in a thatched hut with a midwife.

我到達了一位接生婆的茅草小屋。

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

身為一個母親，我很好奇 她怎樣在她的家裡為別人接生。

After a deep and engaging conversation with her

她認為她的工作是一項 多麽深刻的使命——

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

關於此事，我與她促膝長談——

I asked her a parting question:

之後在臨別時，我問她：

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

「在接生時你會用到哪些工具？」

I got to see her tool.

她允許我看她的工具。

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

「我用這個來分離母親和孩子，」她說。

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

不知道該如何反應， 我拿著這件農具，震驚了。

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

我拍了張照片， 與她相擁，然後離開。

My mind was flooded with reflections of my own infection

我的腦海被記憶淹沒了：

that I had to struggle with for a year past childbirth

我在生產後的一年內 都被自身的感染折磨著，

despite having access to the best medical care,

儘管當時能夠使用最好的醫療護理；

and memories of my conversation with my father,

以及我和我父親的對話——

who had lost his mom to childbirth,

他在出生之時失去了母親——

on how he thought his life would be so different

他認為，如果母親能夠 伴隨著他成長，

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

他的生命會大不一樣。

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

作為一名產品研發者， 我開始了我的求索之路。

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

我很激動地看到有一種

叫做「清潔生產裝備」的產品。

called the Clean Birth Kit.

But I just couldn't buy one for months.

但幾個月來我都買不到一件。

They were only assembled based on availability of funding.

它只根據有無撥款來進行量產。

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

最終，我終於拿到一件時， 我再一次震驚了。

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

我生孩子時絶對不會 使用這些工具，我想。

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

為了驗證我的直覺， 我回到婦女們身邊，

some of whom had the experience of using this product.

她們中一些人有使用 這種產品的體驗。

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

你瞧瞧，她們的反應有過之而不及。

The women said they would rather deliver on a floor

婦女們表示她們寧願躺在地上生產，

than on a plastic sheet that smeared blood all over.

也不想在塑料紙上 把血跡沾得到處都是。

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

她們毫無疑問是對的—— 這會造成更多的感染。

The thread provided was a highway to bacterial infection

該工具提供的絲線， 通過嬰兒的臍帶，

through the baby's umbilical cord,

大大增加了細菌感染的可能，

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

使用的刀片是男人用來刮鬍子的，

and they did not want it anywhere close to them.

她們想要離這東西遠遠的。

There was no incentive for anybody to redesign this product,

人們都沒有重新設計 這款產品的動力，

because it was based on charity.

因為它是基於慈善事業的。

The women were never consulted in this process.

這個過程中從來沒有 考慮婦女的意見。

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

令我驚奇的是， 不僅是家庭中對此產品有需要，

but also in institutional settings with high-volume births.

多產的公共機構中也是如此。

Situations in remote areas were even more daunting.

在邊遠地區的情況甚至更加糟糕。

This had to change.

這一切需要改變。

I made this my area of focus.

我把工作重心放在了這上面。

I started the design process by collecting feedback,

通過收集用戶反饋、 開發產品原型、

developing prototypes

與股東建立密切聯繫、

and engaging with various stakeholders researching global protocols.

研究全球性的協議標準， 我開始了設計的流程。

With every single prototype, we went back to the women

每一代的產品原型， 我們立足於女人的需要，

to ensure that we had a product for them.

力求為她們製造出一款好的產品。

What I learned through this process was that these women,

在這個流程中 我學到的是，這些女人，

despite their extreme poverty,

儘管極度貧窮，

placed great value on their health and well-being.

仍把她們的健康和舒適 看得十分重要。

They were absolutely not poor in mind.

她們的心靈絶不貧窮。

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

和我們一樣，她們會欣賞一件 為她們的需要而開發的、

developed for their needs.

擁有良好設計的產品。

After many iterations working with experts,

在輾轉多次和專家們、

medical health professionals

醫療衛生專家、

and the women themselves,

婦女們合作之後，

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

我該說這個過程一點也不簡單，

but we had a simple and beautiful design.

但最後我們有了一個 簡潔優美的設計。

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

僅比原先提供的產品貴一美元——

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

三美元，我們就能放送 新的產品「janma」——

a clean birth kit in a purse.

裝在手提包裡的清潔生產裝備。

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

janma 意思是「出生」，包含了

為分娩婦女準備的吸納血液的紙張、

for the woman to give birth on,

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

外科手術刀、臍帶夾、肥皂、手套，

and the first cloth to wipe the baby clean.

以及把嬰兒擦乾淨用的布。

All this came packaged in a beautiful purse

這一切都裝在一個漂亮的手提包裡，

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

這個包包，送給經歷了分娩的 辛苦過程的母親當禮物，

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

她們驕傲地把它帶回家， 作為繁榮的象徵。

One woman reacted to this gift.

一位婦女對與這份禮物的反應是：

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

「這真的屬於我嗎？ 我能留著它嗎？」她說。

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

另一位說，「當我又有了一個孩子，

when I have my next baby?"

你會給我一件 另一種顔色的包包嗎？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

更喜人的是，一位婦女說，

這是她平生擁有的第一個包包。

that she had ever owned in her life.

The kit, aside from its symbolism and its simplicity,

這件裝備，除開它的 象徵意義以及簡易性，

is designed to follow globally recommended medical protocol

遵守了全球推薦的 醫療協議標準的設計，

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

作為一個促進行為轉變的工具， 遵循著步驟來解決問題。

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

它不僅可以在家庭中使用， 在公共機構中也可以。

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

迄今為止，我們的裝備已經

影響了世界上 60 萬母親和孩子。

around the world.

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

看著這些數字增長著， 令人感到渺小自卑，

and I cannot wait until we reach a hundred million.

我迫不及待地想讓它變成 1 億。

But women's health issues do not end here.

但是婦女的健康問題 並不是到此為止了。

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

有很多身體上的小毛病， 它們都需要低成本的干預、保護。

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

我們有證據證明：如果我們 往女人和女孩身上投資，

and provide them with better health and well-being,

並且為她們提供更佳的健康和舒適，

they will deliver healthier and wealthier and prosperous communities.

她們誕生的孩子會使社會 更加健康、富裕、繁榮。

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

我們必須從此開始：為婦女的 健康問題帶來簡潔以及尊嚴，

from reducing maternal mortality, to breaking taboos,

從降低產婦死亡率，到打破禁忌、

to empowering women to take control of their own lives.

讓婦女們掌握自己的生活。

This is my dream.

這就是我的夢想。

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

但是，如果沒有世界上 充滿熱忱的男人和女人一起合作——

from around the world --

它是不可能實現的——

yes, all of you.

對，也包括你。

I recently heard this lyric by Leonard Cohen:

我最近聽到了由李歐納·柯恩 所作的這幾句歌詞：

"Ring the bells that still can ring.

「敲擊那仍能作響的鐘，

Forget your perfect offering.

忘記你那完美的供品。

There is a crack in everything.

萬物皆有裂痕，

That's how the light gets in."

可那是光照進來的地方啊。」

This is my bit of light.

這就是我的一點靈感。

But we need more light.

但是我們需要更多靈感。

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

事實上，如果我們 想要一個更好的明天，

if we need a better tomorrow.

我們就需要對女性健康 投入巨大的關注。

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

我們絶不應忘記， 女性位於永續世界的中心，

and we do not exist without them.

沒有了她們，就沒有了我們。

Thank you.

謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）