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Using Human-Centered Design to Prevent Maternal and Infant Deaths, with Karima Ladhani, Giving Cradle and Barakat Bundle

Dr. Karima Ladhani is the daughter of immigrants. Her parents moved from India to Uganda. In 1972, Ugandan president Idi Amin expelled Asian minorities. He gave 90 days to leave the country. Karima’s mother made her way to Canada. Her father was in a refugee camp in Malta before immigrating to Canada. “We can’t take for granted the luxuries and privileges that we have,” she says. “There are people going through things. We have an opportunity and responsibility to help them. Others have helped us. We never know when we could be in that position in the future. It’s our responsibility to society to do our best to uplift all.” Listen to the full episode here.

Non-profit Organization Sending Critical Medical Supplies to Newborns in South Asia

The Giving Cradle is more than just a cradle designed for safely sleeping babies. It’s a simple, effective answer to one of the world’s most difficult problems. “There are so many millions of infants who die before their first birthday, and so many hundreds of thousands of women who die in pregnancy each year around the world, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, our services are needed more than ever” says Giving Cradle Founder and CEO, Dr. Karima Ladhani. “80% of those deaths are completely preventable.” Read more.

5 Things To Look For When Choosing a Baby Cradle

There are so many different options for baby cradles in the market today. Knowing which cradle to choose can be a difficult task if you don’t know what to look for. Our friends at Giving Cradle  have outlined a few helpful tips to consider when looking at the different options. Take a look below! Read more.

How to Start Your Baby’s Life with a Legacy of Giving

When your baby is born, you quickly realize that your life will never be the same. Their arrival is the beginning of so much joy, laughter, and a lifetime of memories. What if there was a way to commemorate this momentous occasion – a way to create a legacy for this baby who has changed your life forever? Well there is, and despite your growing list of things to do as you prepare for your baby, it can actually make things easier! Read more.

Gugu Guide: New Product Alert: Giving Cradle

When getting ready for baby and planning a registry, we often remind parents that they don’t need everything they see, but they do need a safe place for baby to sleep! We’re very excited to introduce you to a new product, Giving Cradle; designed by doctors and public health professionals, Giving Cradle is a patented bamboo rocking cradle that provides a safe sleep experience for your baby. And, we love Giving Cradle because all proceeds from every purchase support their non-profit partner, Barakat Bundle, which creates life-saving care and education bundles for mothers and newborns in need in South Asia. Read more.

Selfish Mother Blog: Barakat Bundle & Giving Cradle Are Working To Reduce Maternal & Infant Mortality in South Asia and You Can Help!

Did you know that 80% of maternal and infant deaths are COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE with appropriate care & education. South Asia has the highest number of infant and maternal deaths each year with approximately 75,000 maternal deaths and 1.5 million infant deaths. When Karima Ladhani learned these sobering statistics as a doctoral student at Harvard University, she was stunned into action. She and a team of fellow students at the Harvard Innovation Lab created Barakat Bundle, an award winning non-profit that works with local communities to create life-saving Bundles for mothers and newborns in South Asia. Read more.

Upworthy: Finland proved baby boxes keep babies alive. Here’s how they’ll work in India.

New parents everywhere know the first rule of parenting is keep your baby alive. Unfortunately, there are many factors that can make this a challenge. That first year of life is the hardest because it’s when babies are the most vulnerable. Couple that with a low socio-economic status, and this fundamental task may start to feel daunting. Read more.

Johnson & Johnson: 6 Entrepreneurs Whose Innovations Could Make GenH the Healthiest Yet

The innovation: A curated bundle of such lifesaving solutions as a clean birth kit and thermometer; care items (baby clothes, a receiving blanket and sanitary napkins); and health education materials on breastfeeding, handwashing and infant care—all packaged in a safe sleep bamboo cradle. Read more.

BBC: Why Babies All Over The World Are Now Sleeping in Boxes

Nearly three years ago, the Magazine reported on the Finnish baby box – a starter kit of clothes, sheets, and toys the state gives to expectant mothers. The story went viral and was read by 10 million people in 18 months. Now the box idea itself is spreading around the world. Read more.

The Washington Post: Why Babies Should Sleep in Boxes

In Finland, many babies sleep in cardboard boxes. And they enjoy it — at least that is what their parents say.The tradition might seem strange to most American parents. But Finnish experts say it could help save lives.They also say it could help the United States lower its infant mortality rate in the same way that it helped Finland. The District, for example, has the highest infant mortality risk among all of the world’s high-income capitals. In other countries, such as South Africa, Zambia, Colombia, Argentina, and the U.S., projects are already being set up to imitate the Finnish success story, according to Harvard University doctoral student Karima Ladhani, who recently founded an nongovernmental organization to create a box for South Asian mothers, called the “Barakat Bundle.” Read more.

Harvard School of Public Health: A Baby Box Aims to Save Infant and Maternal Lives

Under a new student-led nonprofit aimed at reducing infant and maternal mortality in South Asia, expectant mothers would receive a free box full of newborn essentials like baby clothes, diapers, and wipes, as well as health-related items such as a clean delivery kit and oral rehydration salts. The caveat: Women would only get the box—which doubles as a portable basket in which babies can sleep or play—if they agree to a prenatal checkup. Read more.

Harvard Business School: Barakat Bundle Wins Runner-up of 2015 New Venture Competition Social Enterprise Track

Barakat Bundle wins $25,000 runner-up prize of the social enterprise track 2015 New Venture Competition. Barakat Bundle is a conditional newborn essentials kit that reduces infant and maternal mortality in South Asia. Watch the video.

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