KidSpirit

Dignity

Human DignityGlobal Beat

Birth. The word conjures hospital rooms, panting women in mint scrubs, the sudden high-pitched wails of a newly born baby. A tiny, scrawling creature granted the ultimate gift – that of life.

But not all births occur in hospital rooms. Globally, access to medical resources is limited by geography, cost, culture. So some births are on bare soil, with unsterilized equipment, unwashed hands, and untrained personnel. Even in the act of providing another with breath, some women are stripped of all human dignity, and indeed life.

The World Health Organization estimates maternal mortality claimed over 300,000 victims in 2015. This number has been dramatically reduced over the decades, particularly following the Millennial Development Goals (2000), in which improving maternal health was made one of eight top priorities. Yet, over 800 women, 99% of whom reside in rural areas, still die each day through largely preventable conditions such as infection.

As citizens of the global community, supporting the dignity of human life often means attempting to prevent undignified human deaths. Mothers have often been categorized as paragons of virtue, archetypal symbols of sacrifice, giving, and love. Yet some mothers hemorrhage to death due to untrained personnel, and others slowly die from sepsis due to poor sanitation. As individuals with access to one of the highest-quality medical systems in the world, my schoolmates and I felt a sense of global responsibility in ensuring the maintenance of the lives and dignity of mothers around the world.

International Women’s Day, a day both celebrating the progression of women whilst raising awareness about persisting gendered issues, occurs annually on March 8. In 2015, on this day, our school attempted to make a tiny difference in the world by contributing to the prevention of undignified deaths.

The Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia) is an organization that promotes dignity through the allocation of funds and resources to less developed nations with restricted access to sufficient maternal care. All individuals, communities, or institutions can contribute to this cause in some way: through donations, membership or kit construction. Our school decided to aid with the compilation of birthing-kits, distributed packages of natal resources including soap, gloves, scalpels and gauze.

In packing 200 birthing kits according to stringent guidelines maximizing sanitation, our expectations were that the process would take hours. Not so. Because on International Women’s Day in 2015, over 100 students volunteered to prepare, compile, and parcel these kits, in the hope that somewhere in the world, a preventable death would indeed be prevented. The entire process took less than one hour, and in a few weeks 200 birthing kits were en route to Uganda.

Human dignity means access to sanitation, justice, life. Every individual is born with these rights, but not all individuals attain them. On March 8 last year, I learned that making a change, no matter how small, is equally an aspect of a dignified life – the dignity of generosity, respect, global citizenship. I can only hope, somewhere in the world, our school contributed in providing a mother a right she already deserved – that of life.

If you’re interested in contributing to, or learning more about, this cause, please click here, here, or here.

Madeleine Bosler is a 12th grader from Forestville, Australia. Her interests include debate, history, politics, and economics.

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn