Help 500,000.00 women have a safer clean birth

The new financial year has begun with strong momentum for our Clean Birth Kits program. With growing demand for maternal and newborn health support, our teams and partners have been working across multiple countries to ensure women have access to essential supplies and practical support for safer childbirth.

During the July–September 2026 quarter, BKFA distributed 21,000 Clean Birth Kits across seven countries: Uganda, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Cameroon.

This quarter also saw the assembly of 10,000 Clean Birth Kits in Uganda, alongside kits being prepared and shipped from Australia to where they are needed most. These activities demonstrate that the need for clean birth supplies continues to be greater than ever.

One of the women reached through the project is Maryann*, a young mother living in a remote village in Papua New Guinea.

Like many women in her community, Maryann lives several hours from the nearest health facility, with travel involving walking and river crossings. During her previous pregnancies, she had given birth at home using whatever materials were available. She was concerned about the risk of infection and the safety of her baby.

During her final antenatal visit, Maryann received a Clean Birth Kit through the project’s partnership with local health workers. A healthcare worker explained how each item should be used and reinforced the importance of clean birth practices.

When labour began unexpectedly, Maryann gave birth at home with the support of a trained community health volunteer. The sterile gloves, clean delivery surface, cord ties and sterile blade provided in the kit helped them maintain a much cleaner birthing environment than had been possible during her previous deliveries.

Maryann and her baby both recovered well, with no signs of infection or complications.

In the weeks that followed, Maryann shared her experience with other expectant mothers in her village. She encouraged women to attend antenatal clinics and to seek a Clean Birth Kit before their due date. Her confidence in the local health service also grew, and she has since become an advocate within her community for safer pregnancy and childbirth.

Maryann’s story represents just one family among thousands reached through the Clean Birth Kits program.

A Clean Birth Kit is simple and low-cost, but when combined with education, trained community health workers and trusted local partnerships, it can make a meaningful difference. The supplies help mothers and birth attendants maintain a cleaner environment during childbirth, supporting efforts to reduce preventable infections and improve confidence in maternal healthcare.

Every kit represents an opportunity to give a mother and her newborn a safer start to life.

With 21,000 kits distributed across seven countries this quarter, continued assembly and shipments from Australia, and ongoing midwifery training programs, the project is responding to an urgent and growing need.

Thank you to our supporters and partners for helping make this work possible. Together, we are reaching women in some of the world’s most remote communities and helping create safer births, one mother and newborn at a time.

*Name changed to protect privacy.