Safe Birth for Rohingya Families
Tax deductible
On Nov 22, 2017 I will head to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, for 3 weeks to volunteer as a midwife in the Rohingya refugee camps. I will be working with Midwife Pilgrim, a non-profit providing supplies and services in partnership with the Hope Foundation for Bangladesh.
The UNHCR estimates that more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, when terrifying ethnic violence reached new heights in Myanmar. The situation is truly dire - many people are starving and desperate. They have endured devastating trauma. They have minimal shelter, limited access to food and clean water, and very limited health care, even once they reach the camps. Many NGOs are on the ground, but with 10,000 new refugees coming across the border each day, it is hard to keep up with the need.
My goals in Cox's Bazar are to:
- mentor Bengali midwives who are currently providing care in the camps, and who will be there long after I leave
- provide direct prenatal, birth, and postpartum care in the camps and/or in the hospital in Cox's Bazar
- bring 100 safe birth kits and equip 20 new Bengali midwives with the tools they need to keep mothers and babies safe
Any funds donated to this GoFundMe will go directly toward purchasing basic items for the birth kits and midwives in the camps. Things like:
- Blankets to dry and warm newborns so they don't suffer from hypothermia
- Drugs to stop a mother from hemorrhaging after birth
- Cord clamps and clean razors so that the umbilical cord can be safely severed without fear of infection or bleeding
- Fetoscopes so midwives can listen to a baby's heart in utero
- Blood pressure cuffs so midwives can ensure that pregnant mothers are not becoming hypertensive
- Masks that midwives can use to safely provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for newborns who are not breathing
The components of a safe birth kit cost less than $10. That means your donation of $10 can literally save someone's life.
Many of these supplies are already ordered and are in process of being shipped to me to pack in my checked luggage. Some of the supplies can be bought in Bangladesh. I will personally be delivering many of these supplies to families and midwives in the camps.
None of this will go to fund my trip - all my expenses are already paid for. Every penny of the funds raised in this campaign will go toward support for Rohingya women and children. Any funds donated after I leave will be given to Midwife Pilgrim to purchase supplies for upcoming trips. They are sending new midwives every few weeks.
Thank you for your generosity, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Firen Jones
Licensed Midwife, CA LM413
More information on:
The Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/17/rohingya-refugees-flee-coxs-bazar-pictures/
http://www.midwifepilgrim.org/rohingya-crisis.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/09/midwives-offer-lifeline-pregnant-rohingya-women-170925103617656.html
Midwife Pilgrim:
http://www.midwifepilgrim.org/
Born Into Abundance:
Some of the families I provide care for as a midwife in the San Francisco Bay Area are low income and cannot afford to pay my full fee. I created Born Into Abundance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to raise funds to help subsidized these families so they can have home births. Included in our mission is also international charity work just like this. I am using the charity I created to raise money so that your donation is tax deductible. All funds will go toward buying supplies and the remainder will be donated directly to Midwife Pilgrim. Please let me know if you need a receipt for tax purposes.
Who I am and where I'm from:
I am a Licensed Midwife in California. I am licensed by the Medical Board of California, licensed number LM413. I live in San Francisco, CA.
My relationship and contact to the parties I'm raising funds for:
I am the Chairperson of the Board and Executive Director for Born Into Abundance, a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity. I am a volunteer with Midwife Pilgrim, also a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity.
How the funds will be spent:
Funds will be spent on medical supplies that will be shipped (carried in checked luggage or sent by post) to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to serve Rohingya refugees and the Bengali midwives who serve them.
My withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the ultimate beneficiary/ies:
The campaign will run until December 16, 2017. Due to the time constraints, I have already purchased some of the supplies with my personal money. I will continue to purchase other needed supplies with personal money once I am in Bangladesh. After I have returned home and the campaign has ended, and funds are withdrawn, a portion will go to reimburse me for the money I personally spent on supplies. The remainder of the funds will be donated to Midwife Pilgrim to purchase supplies for upcoming trips. All money will be spent on supplies that will directly support Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar. These funds will not be spent to fund volunteer transportation or lodging.
The UNHCR estimates that more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, when terrifying ethnic violence reached new heights in Myanmar. The situation is truly dire - many people are starving and desperate. They have endured devastating trauma. They have minimal shelter, limited access to food and clean water, and very limited health care, even once they reach the camps. Many NGOs are on the ground, but with 10,000 new refugees coming across the border each day, it is hard to keep up with the need.
My goals in Cox's Bazar are to:
- mentor Bengali midwives who are currently providing care in the camps, and who will be there long after I leave
- provide direct prenatal, birth, and postpartum care in the camps and/or in the hospital in Cox's Bazar
- bring 100 safe birth kits and equip 20 new Bengali midwives with the tools they need to keep mothers and babies safe
Any funds donated to this GoFundMe will go directly toward purchasing basic items for the birth kits and midwives in the camps. Things like:
- Blankets to dry and warm newborns so they don't suffer from hypothermia
- Drugs to stop a mother from hemorrhaging after birth
- Cord clamps and clean razors so that the umbilical cord can be safely severed without fear of infection or bleeding
- Fetoscopes so midwives can listen to a baby's heart in utero
- Blood pressure cuffs so midwives can ensure that pregnant mothers are not becoming hypertensive
- Masks that midwives can use to safely provide mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for newborns who are not breathing
The components of a safe birth kit cost less than $10. That means your donation of $10 can literally save someone's life.
Many of these supplies are already ordered and are in process of being shipped to me to pack in my checked luggage. Some of the supplies can be bought in Bangladesh. I will personally be delivering many of these supplies to families and midwives in the camps.
None of this will go to fund my trip - all my expenses are already paid for. Every penny of the funds raised in this campaign will go toward support for Rohingya women and children. Any funds donated after I leave will be given to Midwife Pilgrim to purchase supplies for upcoming trips. They are sending new midwives every few weeks.
Thank you for your generosity, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Firen Jones
Licensed Midwife, CA LM413
More information on:
The Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/17/rohingya-refugees-flee-coxs-bazar-pictures/
http://www.midwifepilgrim.org/rohingya-crisis.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/09/midwives-offer-lifeline-pregnant-rohingya-women-170925103617656.html
Midwife Pilgrim:
http://www.midwifepilgrim.org/
Born Into Abundance:
Some of the families I provide care for as a midwife in the San Francisco Bay Area are low income and cannot afford to pay my full fee. I created Born Into Abundance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to raise funds to help subsidized these families so they can have home births. Included in our mission is also international charity work just like this. I am using the charity I created to raise money so that your donation is tax deductible. All funds will go toward buying supplies and the remainder will be donated directly to Midwife Pilgrim. Please let me know if you need a receipt for tax purposes.
Who I am and where I'm from:
I am a Licensed Midwife in California. I am licensed by the Medical Board of California, licensed number LM413. I live in San Francisco, CA.
My relationship and contact to the parties I'm raising funds for:
I am the Chairperson of the Board and Executive Director for Born Into Abundance, a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity. I am a volunteer with Midwife Pilgrim, also a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity.
How the funds will be spent:
Funds will be spent on medical supplies that will be shipped (carried in checked luggage or sent by post) to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to serve Rohingya refugees and the Bengali midwives who serve them.
My withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the ultimate beneficiary/ies:
The campaign will run until December 16, 2017. Due to the time constraints, I have already purchased some of the supplies with my personal money. I will continue to purchase other needed supplies with personal money once I am in Bangladesh. After I have returned home and the campaign has ended, and funds are withdrawn, a portion will go to reimburse me for the money I personally spent on supplies. The remainder of the funds will be donated to Midwife Pilgrim to purchase supplies for upcoming trips. All money will be spent on supplies that will directly support Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar. These funds will not be spent to fund volunteer transportation or lodging.
Organizer
Firen Jones
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Born Into Abundance
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
