On Saturday 8 August 2026, around ninety volunteers from a number of local groups gathered to assemble birthing kits which will be sent to developing countries around the world where women do not have access to sanitary births. There was an amazing feeling in the room where Abbey Community and Church members were joined by a wonderful team of volunteers from Zonta Caboolture, Bribie Pink Dragons, Caboolture Lions, Ahmadiyya Muslim Ass, Baha’i Moreton Bay, St Michael’s College, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Halcyon Promenade Burpengary and other volunteers from the Moreton Bay region all dedicated to contributing to doing some good in our world.
This important community project was organized by the Abbey Church in conjunction with Zonta Caboolture through the Birthing Kit Foundation, Australia.
Birthing Kit Foundation, Australia, Saving Lives
The Birthing Kit Foundation, Australia is an amazing organisation that helps improve the health and safety of mothers and babies during childbirth. They support women across the world in remote communities with very few resources providing them with clean birthing kits and teaching about safe and hygienic birthing practices. The goal of the Foundation is to help prevent deaths and infections that could be avoided by making sure women have access to simple, life-saving resources and the knowledge they need to give birth safely.
The kits are simple and contain six items. They are a large sheet of plastic used on the often dirt floors during the time of the birth, two pairs of rubber gloves, five gauze wads, three cords to be used tying off the umbilical cord, a scalpel for cutting the cord and a small bar of soap. These are all folded tightly into a small zip-lock bag and packed into boxes of 100, before being delivered back to the Adelaide headquarters of Birthing Kit Foundation, Australia, which sends them overseas.
Communities Working Together Assembling Birthing Kits
This is the third year the Abbey Church and Community have been involved with assembling these birthing kits. Zonta Clubs throughout Australia have worked in association with Birthing Kit Foundation, Australia for over 20 years. In 2025 the goal of 3 million kits sent overseas from Australia was achieved. This is an amazing accomplishment and we at the Abbey Community are excited and very pleased to be able to contribute to this important project.
Preparation for the ‘big’ birthing kit assembly day commenced on the Monday and Tuesday prior, when about twenty volunteers gathered each day to fold the sheets of plastic, cut the pieces of string to length and sort the gauze squares into wads of five. This preparation is important to ensure the standardisation of each kit and that the midwives and pregnant mothers have what they need to support the births.
While working together preparing the individual parts of the kit, Sue Droughton from Zonta, shared with us some of the outcomes of the work we were doing. She told us that after the births, nothing goes to waste, for instance the plastic sheets are often reused on the roof of the huts to keep the weather out. It is hard for us living in Australia to even imagine such poverty in the 21st century world.
Each kit costs $5.00 and this year was jointly funded by Zonta Caboolture and the Abbey Church through the Frank Bremsar bequest. In total 1540 kits were packed and are now ready for shipping overseas. Last year the kits packed by our teams were sent to 30 African countries where families still live in makeshift huts with dirt floors and do not have access to hospitals or any sterile environment.
A huge thank you to all our many volunteers who assisted in anyway to the success of this very worthwhile project and also to those who contributed to our delicious shared morning tea and lunch. There is something amazing that happens when we come together as a community to share a meal and do something for the greater good. It is a blessing to us all.
Help Us Make a Difference
The Abbey Church and Zonta Caboolture come together annually in August to assemble Birthing Kits, if you would like to be contacted about volunteering in 2027 or wish to donate towards the kits please contact Sr Veronica at enquiries@abbeycommunity.com.au or phone 1300 172 333.
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