Baby Mukisa looks up at his young mother with his deep brown eyes and coos. Wrapped in a blue blanket and an animal print onesie from a Bright Hope Mama Kit, he is warm and comfortable in his new clothes. Mukisa is safe and happy in his mother’s arms, but being born in rural Uganda—his story could have been very different. 

Worldwide, babies like Mukisa are born into extreme poverty every single day. Each year, UNICEF estimates that one million children die on the same day they are born, while another 2.6 million do not survive past the first month of life. 

His mother, Esther, is from Bulyake Village—a poor, rural community located in central Uganda. She traveled to Mukisa’s grandmother’s house, over 31 miles away from the nearest hospital, in the hopes of having better access to healthcare and increasing her chances for a safe delivery. 

Mukisa’s grandmother wanted to give him the best possible start to life and through her local church got him a Bright Hope Mama Kit filled with newborn clothes and the tools required for midwives to help with childbirth.  

“Sometimes you need to eat something and you don’t have money [or] the necessary essentials for childbirth like the Mama Kit,” Esther said. “The mama kit reduces my worry.” 

While there are many tragic birth stories in rural communities in Uganda, Mukisa’s tale is a joyful one. Living in extreme poverty, Baby Mukisa is one of the few babies fortunate enough to have been born in a hospital when his delivery did not go as planned. His mother, Esther, had been in labor nearly a week when she needed to have an emergency Caesarean. Having a Mama Kit available meant that they were able to be admitted to the hospital, helping him and his mother have a safer delivery. 

“[The Mama Kit] gives both the mother and the midwife a clear start,” said Esther.  Babies like Mukisa get a better start in life being brought into this world with a lower risk of infection from hygienic supplies such as surgical gloves, clean plastic sheets, a sterile razor and cord band for tying off the umbilical cord. 

His grandmother was so grateful that she named him Mukisa, which means “blessing” in English.  

Now you can be a blessing to newborns and their mothers in Uganda by gifting $25 for a Mama Kit with birthing supplies. Your gift will help mothers who cannot afford

to buy these hygienic items, giving them peace of mind by having the supplies midwives require when helping mothers during childbirth. 

Mothers surviving on less than $2 a day cannot afford to buy basic items for their new baby such as blankets, socks or even soap. By donating just $25 for a Mama Kit- Layette set, you can help ensure a baby born into poverty can stay warm and clean. 

Having a baby should be a joyful and exciting time, not one where expectant and new mothers should be filled with worry. Your gift of just $25 for a Mama Kit can bring Hope and peace-of-mind so mothers can focus on caring for and bonding with their children. 

And your generous gift of $50 will provide a Deluxe Mama Kit including both birthing supplies and newborn necessities for a baby’s first few months of life.  

Will you make a donation of $50  today so other babies like Mukisa can safely live through their first day of life and have the best possible chance to thrive?