THE BACKDROP
The first 28 days after the birth of a preterm baby is critical for their survival. Preterm babies are those born too early, i.e., before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Most of these babies are underweight. The babies experience a condition known as Hypothermia - the child’s body temperature drops dangerously low which may lead to infection or death. The mortality rates of these babies are high in low-income homes as the parents are not aware of treatment techniques.
Doctors advise the mother/ caregiver to adopt the Kangaroo Mother Care technique which involves early and prolonged skin-to-skin contact with the mother/ caregiver. Like Kangaroos, a mother uses one’s own body temperature to keep the baby warm and stabilize the baby’s body temperature.
However, holding a small baby against your naked body for 8–24 hours per day can be difficult. Due to this limitation, a lot of parents find it difficult to give KMC to their infants.
THE SOLUTION
Ekam Foundation, an NGO based in Chennai aims to solve this problem through a unique Kangaroo Mother Care Sling bag stitched by Ekam’s self-help women's group. The sling bag keeps the baby securely in the correct position for providing effective skin-to-skin care. The ergonomic design puts little strain on the shoulders, and back and thus ensures a prolonged duration of KMC. The bag also allows for breastfeeding with ease without removing the newborn from the sling.
This technique will help 40% of preterm babies survive (according to WHO and the National Library of Medicine).
PIC: A mother using Kangaroo Mother Care Sling bag.
Two such KMC bags are given for each baby. The NGO also takes care of the counselling, training, and monitoring of the beneficiaries. The funds from this campaign will be used to distribute these sling bags in government hospital ICUs across Tamil Nadu.
All funding has 80G tax benefits.
KANGAROO MOTHER CARE SLING BAG
ABOUT ME
Hello, this is Aadharshini. I am 16 years old, I'm a grade eleven student from the Pupil Saveetha Eco School.
Today I'm typing this down without knowing where exactly this path is gonna lead me to but I'm pretty sure that this journey is gonna make big positive impact in my life.I have always been a reserved, quiet kid and I haven't really left my comfort zone most of the times , this has also been a reason why I couldn't showcase my real self to the society. I want people to know that I'm much more than what they think of me. I really wish that after this programme I'll be able to interact with people comfortably and will be able to break out of my comfort zone and showcase the real, actual me to the society.
Only after the first session I came to know that India is actually one of the most honest and generous country in this world. I feel ashamed to think of India in the last place in both the cases despite being a citizen of India. I guess I should still do a lot of research work about my own country.
This session also spoke about the pre-mature babies dying and the way we could help those babies and their parents. There is this treatment called mother care which is basically inspired from the mother nature, it is just like a kangaroo carrying her baby in her pouch in contact with her bare skin. This treatment is so effective that it helped in saving the life of so many pre- mature babies and has reduced their death rate. But this treatment is not affordable by every parent and also is not known to every parent. So to help them save the life of their babies we are rising funds. Your small contribution can make a big impact in someone's life. You always get what you give. This simple theory applies in life also, if you're gonna give someone today or help someone today life is gonna return this help back to you in some way when you're in a need of it. So don't hesitate to contribute even if it is a little amount. Small actions can make big changes.
KMC BAG IN USE
The KMC technique can be adopted not just by the mother but also by the father, grandmother, etc.
MAP
ABOUT EKAM FOUNDATION
EKAM foundation is a not-for-profit (NGO) organization that works towards providing quality healthcare to needy children and mothers in India. The foundation was started on the basic premise that no child should be denied the right to healthcare. EKAM’s vision is to work for the well-being of children and mothers; and thereby contribute to a reduction in infant, childhood, adolescent, and maternal mortality rates. EKAM is a unique healthcare model, primarily focusing on neonates and infants.
The primary aim is not to replace but to seamlessly supplement the Public health care system. As a child’s health is dependent on the health of its mother, interventions are tailored to address the challenges and gaps within the RMNCHA arena (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn Child, and Adolescent Health).
PREVIOUS DISTRIBUTION OF THE KMC BAGS
TAX BENEFITS
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as the NGO, Ekam Foundation is a registered trust and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is NOT accepted.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to Ekam Foundation. It will take from 2 to 3 months after that to get details of fund use. Once I get this information from them I shall upload this in the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert and can read details about the beneficiaries.
When do I get the receipts?
It takes up to 2-weeks after the campaign is closed for the monies to be transferred to Ekam Foundation. The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How can we fund this campaign with a Cheque?
Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd account details are as below:
BANK NAME: HDFC Bank Limited.
BRANCH: Koramangala( Main Branch). City: Bengaluru - 560095.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 50200013106778
IFSC CODE: HDFC0000053
Please draw a cheque in favour of "Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd", and deposit the cheque into the Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd HDFC Bank account (any branch across INDIA). After you deposit the cheque, please send an email to prasad@fueladream.com AND getintouch@fueladream.com with the following funder information.
1) Name of Funder:
2) Full address with Pin code:
3) Telephone/Mobile no and Email ID:
4) PAN of funder:
5) Cheque number:
6) Amount funded:
7) Whose campaign are you funding. (Name of the person OR campaign number/ID):
After the funds are received and the above details are verified, the fund amount will be transferred to the respective campaign. This can take from 1-3 working days.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept and is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations and ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding.
