Utah-based aid group helps Nepal earthquake victims give birth safely


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If you could help a new mother deliver a healthy baby in a safe place, would you? Since April's devastating earthquake in Nepal, over 125,000 pregnant women are faced with delivering their babies outside in the elements. With over 75% of medical facilities in Dhading, Nepal destroyed and 90% sustaining heavy damages, reports of sepsis and other life-threatening complications for both mothers and newborns are climbing.

Sunita and her husband Chaibai are just one of the many couples in Nepal who were expecting children when the earthquake hit Nepal in April. Suddenly, the clinic where she attended her prenatal check-up was destroyed.

Giving birth is scary in America with clean hospitals and comfortable circumstances but can you imagine if, in addition to Lamaze classes, you also needed to worry about whether there was anywhere safe in your area to give birth?

Photo credit: Tifie Humanitarian

Utah-based aid group Tifie Humanitarian and its partner One Heart World-Wide are working to send much needed shelters to be used as emergency birthing centers for laboring mothers in Nepal through the "Safe Shelter Nepal" project. These shelters, created by local Utah company Barebones Living, and solar power created by Goal Zero provide a clean, safe place of comfort for mothers and their newborns.

Sunita was able to deliver her baby in one such shelter.

"My labor pains started at 8 A.M.," Sunita said. "So my husband and I walked to the birthing tent, which took us about two hours. At 10 P.M., I had a boy. I am very happy with the nurses and the care I received. Our house has a big crack in it, so we've set up a tent to sleep in with the baby. Now, our biggest problem is our tent, which leaks a lot from the rain."

Sunita benefitted from the first shipment that arrived in Nepal, but we need your help to send another shipment of shelter, power and light to the earthquake-ravaged region.

Photo credit: Tifie Humanitarian

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We know from experience that every donation, no matter how big or small, is absolutely critical to supporting relief efforts in disaster stricken areas. 100 percent of every donation made to this effort will go directly toward providing clean, safe shelter and power for new mothers and their infants in Nepal. No donations are ever used to cover operating costs. Here is an outline of what your donation will provide:

MATERNAL HEALTH SHELTER - $2000

- Safe shelter for delivering mothers in monsoon season

- Solar power for ultrasound and emergency medical equipment

- Includes shelter, solar generator kit, flashlights and cots

SHARE A SHELTER - $1250

- Safe and clean shelter for delivering mothers and delivery assistance in monsoon season

PROVIDE POWER - $300

- Solar Power Kit for charging medical devices, lights, laptops

- Fume-free generator for safe power, anywhere

- Includes Yeti 150 Solar Generator, Nomad 20 Solar Panel and Torch 250 Lights

SOLAR FLASHLIGHT & PHONE CHARGER - $30

- Bright light can chase away darkness and recharge cell phones

- Recharges through crank, solar or USB

It is the mission of Tifie Humanitarian to enable people to meet their own basic needs for shelter, food, water, medical care and power. We believe in the mission of One Heart World-Wide to reduce preventable maternal death, and if one laboring mother can cradle a healthy newborn infant, that's a miracle for a Nepalese family in the midst of suffering and loss. Help us provide the mothers of Nepal with a clean, safe place to welcome their babies into the world. Join KSL Television all day Thursday to find out more about this cause. You can also donate online at Tifie.org/Nepal or by texting the word "shelter" to 56512.

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