Twenty-one hundred “New Born kits” were assembled by members of all ages of The Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Giving up their Saturday afternoon, they collectively spent over four hundred man hours putting together the items contained in the kits and preparing them for transport to the Chandrikaben Rashmikant Gardi hospital newborn delivery ward.
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Each year over two thousand babies are born at the Chandrikaben Rashmikant Gardi hospital in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Located in a rural area of Central India, this facility provides birthing services and care to tens of thousands of women who live in the small villages and farms that dot this agricultural landscape. They come to this hospital with very little, if anything, to clothe and care for the new born once it has been delivered. In many cases, these women are the poorest of the poor traveling long distances to qualify for the small government incentive paid to any woman who gives birth in this facility. In the past, most have arrived with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing and left with the same. Now, through this contribution by the The Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints these mothers will each be given a “New Born kit” as they leave the hospital.
Each kit contains a warm receiving blanket, bath towel and face cloth, mittens, nappies, booties, water proof bed liner, baby powder, soap and other necessary items. Dr. Deep Thacker, one of the doctors that work at the hospital expressed great appreciation by saying, “The contribution of these new born kits will make a big difference in the first few months of life for these little babies. They will now leave this hospital wrapped in clean, warm clothing and enjoy a good start on life.” Each month this hospital has an average of 175 births. The new born kits contributed will last for a period of one year.
This is just one of many humanitarian projects that The Indian Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does in India each year. In the last ten years the LDS Church has donated over 34 million dollars in humanitarian aid in the form of goods and services to the people of India.