Sweety lives in Kurigram, a district in northern Bangladesh, with her husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and one month-old son, Shimanto.
Shimanto was born at home on December 1, 2016. Shimanto was the family’s first child and was named by her father. All of Sweety’s family members were thrilled with the baby, especially her husband.
Sweety’s husband is a farmer, a challenging career that requires a significant amount of manual labor. Still, he never forgets to play with Shimanto when he comes home from work. He also looks after his son when Sweety needs to rest.
Sweety first heard about BRAC’s health services from her neighbors. It was her first pregnancy, and she didn’t want to go to an unfamiliar hospital far away from her family.

A local BRAC Shasthya Shebika, or health worker, named Khadiza, lives close to Sweety and sometimes visits her home. She noticed when Sweety became pregnant and introduced her to Anwara, a BRAC Shasthya Kormi, who works in the area. Anwara gave her helpful advice on what to do and what to eat during the pregnancy to keep both Sweety and the baby healthy. Anwara also gave her a book with useful tips for expecting mothers. The book had the cell phone numbers of both Khadiza and Anwara so Sweety could call them if she had any complications.
Sweety attended a meeting for pregnant mothers when she was in the ninth month of her pregnancy. In the meeting, mothers talked about their experiences during their pregnancies and learned best-practices for a clean and safe birth. Anwara and others also discussed the do’s and don’ts during pregnancy.

Soon after, Anwara and Khadiza both visited Sweety’s home to see how she was doing. Anwara took her blood pressure and checked the position of the baby to see if everything was going smoothly. Anwara also advised her to start eating certain vegetables that would give her essential vitamins for her pregnancy. Sweety also purchased a Kallyani Delivery Kit, a safe birthing kit, from Khadiza.
The safe birthing kit is part of a partnership with TOMS. The kits contain the tools necessary for mothers to have a clean and safe birth at home: gauze, soap, a sterile sheet for the bed, a thread for the umbilical cord, and a surgical blade.
These kits, along with the expertise of a health volunteer like Khadiza, have the power to save a mother’s life. It’s a low-tech solution, but for only 40 cents, a mother can make sure that she has a safe birth no matter where she is. Since 1999, BRAC has manufactured more than 2.6 million birthing kits. As a result, maternal mortality in Bangladesh decreased by forty percent in the last decade.
On December 1, 2016, Sweety’s labor pain started around 11pm, just after she ate dinner. She immediately called Khadiza. Khadiza came over at her home immediately and helped her prepare for the delivery. Sweety said she was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Khadiza assured her that everything would be alright and she didn’t seem to have any complications. Khadiza is a trained birth attendant and she opened the Kallyani Delivery Kit, using it to create a clean and safe environment for her to perform the delivery.
To their joy, Sweety gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

In the time that Sweety has lived in the area, she has seen a shift in the mindset of women, with more of them wanting to deliver babies at home. If there is any complication, their first option is to go to the government hospitals. BRAC’s community health workers are able to refer their neighbors to the nearby hospitals if complications arise. The health workers are always on hand to go with mothers and make sure they are admitted.
Sweety said that getting the right advice at the right time can be a huge challenge in her community. In many cases, issues like a cramp, or an iron deficiency, can be easily solved, but it takes someone like Khadiza or Anwara to confidently guide mothers through these issues. Sweety has already told her cousin, who is five months pregnant, to talk to Khadiza and get herself registered at BRAC so she can benefit from its services.
She says she will definitely tell others about her experience.

Sweety really enjoys being a mother and just looking at her baby brings her joy. Their family is proud to have him. She hopes he becomes a man of strong moral value. She looks forward to seeing what path he will choose when he grows up.