Fatu felt the first labor pains as she cooked rice over her charcoal fire late in the afternoon. Fatu called out to her neighbor, and together they delivered Prince, a beautiful baby boy, right there in the yard. To cut the umbilical cord, they used a cooking knife.
Wrapped in a towel, Prince seemed healthy at first, but days later his tiny body was hot with fever. Desperate, Fatu carried him to the local clinic, but it was too late. Prince died in his devastated mother's arms.
If Fatu and her neighbor had a few simple things, Prince would still be alive.
With your help, our team has deployed over 3,200 clean birth kits to Liberia since 2019. Developed by the World Health Organization, the kits contain medical gloves, soap, a plastic sheet, cord clamps, and a picture instruction card. They are small enough to carry everywhere, and can prevent fifty percent of the birth infections that kill babies and mothers in Liberia.