Zubaida Bai: A simple birth kit for mothers in the developing world | TED Talk

I just watched a TED Talk by Zubaida Bai, entitled “A simple birth kit for mothers in the developing world.” I learned a lot and wanted to share some of my takeaways and other observations.

Bai started her presentation in an engaging way by sharing a disturbing and mind-blowing statistic: in the 6 minutes it would take her to deliver her speech, three mothers delivering their babies would have passed away.

I found Bai’s personal anecdote especially touching. In 2008, she was in India and she listened to the stories of women all day. In a discussion with one midwife, Bai asked “Do you have the tools you need to deliver the babies?” Upon being shown an agricultural tool by the other woman, Bai was shocked. This story helped provide a tangible example of why it’s important to work towards providing all medicals across the world with the appropriate tools they need to take care of women during childbirth. Without sufficient fundraising and awareness raising, this won’t be possible.

Bai emphasized how this issue (a lack of quality medical resources) is not just apparent in individual families; it is also an institutional issue — especially in remote areas. Bai’s solution, a clean birth kit, is both inspirational for other activities working towards improving reproductive health and more importantly valuable for the mothers that will need to use them. I particularly appreciate how Bai designed the product prototype based on the insight from women she actually met and spoke with, first-hand.

Given my interest in women’s reproductive health, this video stood out to me. I especially liked the clarity in Bai’s message and the undertones of urgency as she presented.

Finally, despite the fact that this video was from 2016, a lot of Bai’s messages are still relevant in our modern day. I want to continue watching TED talks as such so that I can keep expanding my knowledge on women’s health and draw inspiration from other motivational female speakers like Bai.