Australian Defence Force Support To Afghan Mothers

The Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson
Minister for Defence

ADF Support To Afghan Mothers

I am pleased to announce Defence’s support to The Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia) over the next several weeks. ADF logistic sustainment aircraft will be used to progressively transport up to 3,600 birthing kits provided by the foundation into Afghanistan. These life-saving kits were assembled by volunteers from Zonta Clubs around Australia.

Defence can transport limited life-saving humanitarian aid on a space-available basis within logistics networks established to support ADF personnel deployed overseas. Each request for assistance is carefully evaluated against the humanitarian need and the logistic burden it would impose on the limited ADF system. In this case the birthing kits are easily transported as they can be broken down to fit across several consignments if required and provide highly sought after humanitarian assistance.

The birthing kits are a simple but extremely important element in improving the lives of Afghan mothers and their new-born children. The birthing kits provide simple equipment to create a clean birth environment reducing the chance of possible infection for the mothers and their newborns.

I applaud the efforts of the Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia) and the dedicated women of the Zonta Clubs in Australia who have given their time to assemble these potentially life-saving kits.

Further detail on the birthing kits transported by the ADF is available at http://www.birthingkitfoundation.org.au

ENDS

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