The Zonta Club of Long Island proved that a little work can go a long way. A total of 500 birthing kits for women in Haiti and Nigeria were put together by club and community members at the Martin De
Porres Elementary School in Elmont. Joining them was New Hyde Park resident Elisa Adams.
Each kit contained the basic essentials a women would need while giving birth in a rural environment including one piece of plastic, one bar of soap, one pair of surgical gloves, one razor blade, three pieces of string, and three gauze pads.
Adams approached her club members with the idea to put together birthing kits last year after discovering the idea online. After a successful first year, the club members decided to make the kits again.
“They provide a midwife in a developing country with material that provides a clean environment,” she said. “It’s very basic, but it’s an attempt to help out. It brings the community together. Girl Scouts and residents volunteered to help out. It’s very gratifying to know that we can directly help people.”
These kits will be delivered by nuns to associations that help women. Four hundred will be delivered to Haiti and 100 will be delivered to a health team called Project Uplift in Nigeria.
“We did this project last year, and it was a huge success,” said Sister Evelyn Lamoureux, president of Zonta. “We have many Sisters in Haiti, and they were so thrilled when they got them.”
Zonta International is a organization of business executives working together to enhance the status of women. To contact the club, email LiZon-taD3@gmail.com. For more information, visit their blog at www.zontaclublongisland.blogspot.com or www.zonta.org
