Delivery: Baby Box Kwale
Baby Boxes: Kwale
Improving provision of postnatal care and health information for mums in Kwale
Why?
Kenya has made huge strides in maternal and neonatal health, but there is still a lot of work to do. In Kwale County, on the coast of Kenya, postnatal care uptake is extremely low. This means that many mums are missing out on checks for themselves and their babies that are vital to ensuring both are recovering well after the birth and for spotting danger signs of potentially life-threatening problems.
A Baby Box is an inexpensive alternative to a crib that acts as an incentive for mums to attend critical postnatal checks. They have been used in countries such as Scotland and Mexico to help babies have the best possible start in life.
In 2018, Child.org piloted the concept in Nairobi, Kenya, providing baby boxes to 483 new mums and saw an incredible 81% increase in mothers accessing life-saving services.
This new Baby Box project in Kwale will encourage and improve access to postnatal care for 500 new mums, in turn keeping themselves and their newborns safer.
The project also takes learnings from Child.org's Pregnant Women's Group in Meru, Kenya, which are arming mums with lifesaving health information through a series of interactive group sessions.
Aims
The project aims to use Baby Boxes as an incentive to encourage more mums to access postnatal care services and provide them with safe sleeping information and a safe place for their baby to sleep.
In addition to receiving a Baby Box, mums will be invited to participate in three sessions that will provide valuable information on how to keep themselves and their babies healthy.
Project delivery
This project will provide 500 mums with a Baby Box that is made from cardboard and is complete with a mattress, sheets, and mosquito net, and printed with safe sleeping advice. We will also be providing mums with a leso, maternity pads, cotton wool, slippers, a baby onesie, a baby hat, soap, napkins, liners, a reusable diaper and jelly.
Child.org will also train hospital and community health workers on postnatal care and safe sleeping practices to improve the quality of care for pregnant women at local health clinics.
The community
For this project, Child.org is working with 500 pregnant women in the Lunga Lunga Sub County of Kwale County.
Child.org is playing a core role in the implementation and delivery of the project. We are also partnering with the county government, including nurses and community health volunteers, to ensure mums are receiving quality postnatal care.
