The tradition of giving a 'Baby Box' to every mother who has just has a baby originated in Finland and has since been spread to other countries, and finally now it has just reached Malawi through Genna- a volunteer who came to the Butterfly Space a few months ago.
Her aim was to give the poorest mothers who gave birth at Nkhata Bay Hospital a baby basket. When due to give birth, women are expected to bring the basic things they'll need with them to hospital, the ones who don't cannot afford to. It is these women we want to hep first and foremost.
The concept is simple. It is much safer for the baby to sleep separately from the mother rather than in the same bed. The risk is that when the mother falls asleep she may roll onto and harm the baby. It is unfortunately a common cause of infant death. The main purpose of the baby basket is to act as a bed for the baby. They have a mattress in the base, a blanket and a mosquito net to fit over the top, helping to protect the baby from malaria.
Also included in the box:
A set of baby clothes (Malawian mums love warm clothes for their babies)
A chitenje (Malawian mothers use these to carry their baby)
A cuddly toy
A baby bath
Soap
Vaseline (used to prevent nappy rash)
2 x reusable nappies (disposables are no use in Malawi)
A nappy clip (to hold it in place)
A nappy cover
A face cloth
Sanitar towels for the mother
Condoms for the parents
Paracetamol for the mother
Bra for the mother
Information packs on the purpose of the baby basket and on breast feeding.
A congratulations card for the mother welcoming her new baby- written in Tonga (the local language). Chichewa the main language in Malawi but is spoken more widely in the south and around Lilongwe, the capital.
Genna, the founder of the project, is still a huge part of it, fundraising like mad back in the UK. The baby clothes, toys, blankets and bras are all donated from the UK and sent over to the Butterfly Space to go to into the baby baskets.
So if anyone has anything on the last that they want to send over then get in contact or you can send things to her in the UK- just ask me for her details.
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