A pregnant mum set to benefit from a Clean Birth Kit. (Photo: Birthing Kit Foundation Australia)
Story by Julie Nance
A small group of Blue Mountains women is helping local women survive and thrive and also contributing to improve maternal and newborn survival in developing countries. Assembling birthing kits for women in remote locations is just one of the many ways the Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains is empowering and supporting women, both abroad and at home. Maree Cairns is a driving force in the Club. The retired educator of 37 years – 30 of those as Assistant Principal – dedicates her life to giving back.
Key Points:
- Zonta International is a leading global organisation of individuals working together to build a better world for women and girls. The Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains meets monthly, alternating between venues at Glenbrook and Wentworth Falls.
- Zonta works locally to improve educational outcomes by providing local women with TAFE and high school scholarships and mentorship. Members also sew breast care cushions to aid local women’s recovery after breast surgery and they provide care packages including toiletries for a local women’s refuge.
- The Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains has also been pivotal in helping Blue Mountains City Council put together their gender equity strategy, along with the Women’s Health and Resource Centre and Belong Blue Mountains. They’re also a representative on the Mayoral Reference Group for family and domestic violence and part of the Coalition Against Violence and Abuse (CAVA), which is a collection of social welfare groups.
Q and A with Maree
How did groups of Aussie women end up helping mums-to-be in developing countries?
This all started about 30 years ago when an Adelaide doctor attended a United Nations conference on women, in Beijing. She heard actor Sally Field talking about a birthing kit she had seen in Nepal. The doctor came home to Adelaide and developed the Birthing Kit – a small zip-lock bag containing six basic, clean items. The doctor asked her local Zonta Club to help assemble the kits and it morphed into the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. Every Zonta Club continues to help with this work.
I hear the kit has gone green?
Yes. The plastic bag and cloth – designed to be put on the ground where the woman gives birth – are both biodegradable. The kit also includes vegan soap, a pair of surgical gloves, swabs, sterilised strings to tie off the umbilical cord and a sterile blade.
Pregnant women in a remote community hold their Clean Birth Kits, providing them and their unborn babies with a better chance of a positive outcome. (Photo: Birthing Kit Foundation Australia)
Watch BKFA’s compelling video The Journey of the Birthing Kit:
It must be satisfying for you and your fellow Club members to play a part in this important initiative.
Research has shown that maternal and infant death are high if you don’t even have the basics. It’s really about trying to create a hygienic little environment wherever the women are. In addition to assembling kits we also fundraise. A kit is only $5 each – the price of a cup of coffee. It has such an incredible, tangible impact.
Zonta members assembling the Clean Birth Kits, wearing gloves and masks to help to keep germs away. (Photo: Zonta Blue Mountains)
Congratulations on receiving the Blue Mountains Senior Citizen of the Year award in 2022. Trish Doyle MP said at the time:
“I hold Maree in the highest regard, as an educator of excellence, a mentor, a supporter of community organisations, a tireless volunteer and an advocate for change in the field of gender equality. She has had a lifetime of service in public schools throughout New South Wales, making a significant contribution to the lives of families in the Hazelbrook community over many years as a classroom teacher and assistant principal.”
That’s very impressive and adds up to a great deal of giving to the community. What motivates you and did your drive to support others start as a child?
I came from a family of domestic violence, as a child. It’s what forms you. My mother had five children and had to work. There were times when we didn’t eat, when we didn’t have shoes. So when you break out of that, you feel you have to give back. Education was what opened all the doors for me.
As a teacher, I spent a lot of time with those kids who didn’t come from ‘typical’ backgrounds, with all the issues that can bring. I knew if I could encourage them and make them really excited about learning, they had a chance. I’m very fortunate where I sit now. I own a house and I’m comfortable and that’s because of education. I feel an obligation to make sure other women have those opportunities. I also call out gender inequity all the time.
Maree Cairns, former president of Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains and now member. (Photo: Julie Nance)
It was interesting to read that Zonta International started with a club in 1919 in Massachusetts, set up by Marian de Forest, with aviator Amelia Earhart a member.
Zonta is a Lakota Sioux Indian word that means ‘honest and trustworthy’. The main focus of Zonta is to empower women and girls through service and advocacy. There’s always an education program and a health program.
Zonta runs a whole range of international scholarships, and the one that stands out for me is the Amelia Earhart Scholarship, which is for a woman doing postgraduate studies in Aeronautical Science. They award 10 a year and it’s $10,000 US dollars. Australia has had young women recipients and we had one last year. It’s career changing for them.
I understand Zonta also works locally to improve educational outcomes by providing local women with TAFE and high school scholarships and mentorship. What outcome have you been particularly proud of?
I think the TAFE awards are the ones that mean the most to me because we give two: one to a young woman who chooses an alternate pathway to her higher school certificate and the other to an older woman who is retraining or training to join the workforce for the first time.
Our recipient last year was a Japanese lady in her 40s. She didn’t have the opportunity to study because her mother had a stroke and at the age of 19 she became her carer. Once her mother passed away she spent her time working 12 hour-days in a Japanese restaurant. She did the TAFE pathways course and then a maths degree at Western Sydney University. She is now a maths teacher.
The support Zonta provides is so diverse, including sewing breast care cushions to aid women’s recovery after breast surgery?
Women often have lymph nodes taken out during breast surgery. The cushion sits under their arm and takes the pressure off the wounds. Every now and then we get an email from someone who says something along the lines of: “I had one of your breast cushions and it really helped, thank you so much.”
Zonta sewers making a difference with their breast care cushions. (Photo: Zonta Blue Mountains)
I hear you also provide care packages including toiletries for a local women’s refuge?
We’re noticing an increasing trend of women having to stay long periods at the refuge because they’ve got nowhere to go. A lot of the toiletries and other essentials we provide are donated to us. Many of us put an extra deodorant or shampoo into our trolley when we shop. We also had a great big timber table made for a refuge courtyard. We received a photo of the table covered in kids’ paintings, playdough, blocks and teacups.
Supplies heading for a local refuge. (Photo: Zonta Blue Mountains)
Is there anything else you feel is important to highlight about Zonta?
Advocacy! Advocacy is making sure that everywhere there’s something happening, Zonta is there saying ‘what about women? What about women? What about women?’.
We were pivotal in helping the Blue Mountains City Council put together their gender equity strategy, along with the Women’s Health and Resource Centre and Belong Blue Mountains. That was really important. We’re also a representative on the Mayoral Reference Group for family and domestic violence and part of the Coalition Against Violence and Abuse (CAVA), which is a collection of social welfare groups.
You must have incredible energy. How do you keep up with everything?
You always find time for the things you love. I encourage people to just get involved and find something that is your passion. Everyone has something to contribute. Older people particularly have got so much life experience and wisdom to share.
Look out for the Zonta stall at Glenbrook Rotary Markets (Photo: Zonta Blue Mountains)
Take Action:
- If you are interested in finding out more about the Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains and getting involved, visit their website, their Facebook page or phone Maree on 0419 638 912.
- Zonta meets on the first Monday of the month at 6.30pm, alternating between Glenbrook Panthers and the Grand View Hotel in Wentworth Falls.
- Help Zonta Club of the Blue Mountains raise funds for more birthing kits.
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
The fabulous Gang Gang Farmers Market in Lithgow will be back when the weather warms up. Meet some stallholders and whet your appetite for their Spring re-opening in Lithgow Area Local News (link in profile)
https://lithgowlocalnews.com/gang-gang-farmers-market/
#markets #lithgow #localproduce #planeteryhealth #buylocal
Imagine having enough absorbent green spaces, water tanks and underground water storage to capture the damaging stormwater that runs off hard surfaces in extreme wet weather events; imagine having enough stored water and the ability to clean all the water we use so that we are prepared for future drought and fire seasons. Join the discussion about how we can do this at a Free Water Symposium on Friday 26 July at the Planetary Health Centre. Bookings essential (link in profile): https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/future-proofing-with-circular-water-tickets-943977701717
#circularwater #greywater #blackwater #stormwater #waterrecycling #togetherwecan #disasterriskreduction #beprepared #extremeweather #planetaryhealth #bushfire #flood #drought
Beyond the Yellow Bin: Surprising Things You Can Recycle – and How to Do it!
Here’s a guide to help Springwood and Greater Blue Mountains residents access the most effective recycling options available in the local area. Read more in Springwood Area Local News (link in profile): https://springwoodlocalnews.com/recycling-in-the-blue-mountains/
#recycling #circulareconomy #reuse #reduce #recycle #bluemountains #springwood #planetaryhealth #togetherwecan
Hamish Dunlop interviews prize-winning children’s book illustrator, mother, activist and proud Bundjalung woman, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis about the power of storytelling and how we can inspire our children to build a better world. Read more in Blackheath Area Local News (link in profile): https://blackheathnews.com/charmaine-ledden-lewis/
#changethestory #abetterworld #powerofstorytelling #bundjalung #illustrator #firstnations #planetaryhealth #blackheath #bluemountains
Broken chair? Blown amp? Busted washing machine? They don’t have to be thrown away! These Mid Mountains fixers and makers will revive them. Read more in our Mid Mountains Repair Guide: Choosing Longevity in an Age of Disposability. You can find it in Mid Mountains Local News (link in profile): https://www.midmtnslocalnews.com/mid-mountains-repair-guide/
#repair #repairculture #fixing #reuserecycle #longevity #togetherwecan #thebigfix #planetaryhealth #midmountains #repairguide
In this video, Dharug artist Leanne Tobin talks eloquently about the critical importance of water and why it`s the theme of her two paintings in the Water for Life exhibition at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. View the paintings and learn more about the many ways we can work together to manage water better at our free Water Symposium next Friday 26th July. Bookings essential (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3LiuJWi
The full video can be viewed on our YouTube channel (link in profile)
#waterforlife #leannetobin #firstnations #waterissacred #planetaryhealth #watersymposium
Electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity across Australia, but many people are still uncertain about their benefits, feasibility, and availability. To try and help local communities in the Lower Mountains have a better understanding of what EV’s can offer, @parentsforclimatebluemountains are hosting an EV Showcase in Blaxland on Saturday 27 July to help bust the EV myths and provide helpful, up-to-date and accessible information. 33 Hope Street Blaxland between 10 am and 12.30 Read more in Lower Mountains Local News (link in profile): https://lowermtnslocalnews.com/community-ev-showcase-blaxland/
#electriccars #blaxland #bluemountains #ev #planetaryhealth #towardszeroemissions
As part of our Water Demonstration Site at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre we`ve installed a range of sprinklers to show people how to protect their homes from bushfire. Plumber Daniel Brown will be giving a tour at our upcoming event: Future Proofing with Circular Water on Friday 26 July. The event is free but bookings essential at https:bit.ly/4f78K1Z (link in profile) #bushfiresprinklers #beprepared #planetaryhealth
Global problems are creating renewed interest in traditional DIY skills like sewing. Here’s how a local grandmother is sharing her rag trade experience to make a difference and how you can get involved. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/upcycling-fashion-workshops/
#skillshare #givingback #sharing #upcyclingfashion #sewing #patternmaking #repair #clothingadjustments #wastereduction #textilewaste #creativity #planetaryhealth
Calling all plumbers, builders, architects, engineers and any community members interested in learning ways we can manage water to reduce the impact of future droughts, floods and fires. On Friday 26 July we`ll be bringing together leaders in bushfire sprinkler system design, Hydraloop technology which can recycle 40% of your greywater, the program manager for drought from Sydney Water, and the designer of our 150,000l underground water storage system which will be capturing and cleaning stormwater for firefighting as a model for what we could build at the end of flame zone streets. Speak to a plumber about installing tanks and water systems and be in the running to trial one of two free Hydraloops we have on offer. This grant-funded event is free but bookings essential (link in profile):
https://bit.ly/4f78K1Z
This event is being supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund which is funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
@hydraloop_systems @sydneywater @nswreconstructionauthority #greywaterrecycling #watertanks #firefighting #beprepared #drought #fire #flood #heatwave #bushfiresprinklers #planetaryhealth #disasterriskreduction
Our fortnightly Planetary Health Newsletter shares news about upcoming events, like our free Water Symposium on Friday 26 July, and stories from the Lower Mountains to Lithgow that are jam-packed with inspiration and a blueprint for the way forward.
Read it here and subscribe via any of our news sites (links in profile):
https://bit.ly/4cXQg2f
In this edition:
Katoomba Area Local News: Learning How To Upcycle Fashion with Sherlie McMillan
Mid Mountains Local News: Mid Mountains Repair Guide: Choosing Longevity in an Age of Disposability
Blackheath Area Local News: Charmaine Ledden-Lewis on Stories for a New World
Lower Mountains Local News: Busting The EV Myths: Community EV Showcase & Information Event Comes to Blaxland
Springwood Area Local News: Beyond the Yellow Bin: Surprising Things You Can Recycle – and How to Do it!
Lithgow Local News: The Gang Gang Farmers Market will Return in Spring!
#planetaryhealth #systemicchange #togetherwecan #solutions #constructivejournalism #watersymposium #hyperlocalnews
What an inspiring day at the Planetary Health Centre yesterday! We launched the Planetary Health Storytelling Network after a brilliant workshop with award-winning health writer and author Sophie Cousins on Our Community, Our Stories: Writing for Change. The Network will include all types of storytelling for planetary health: from songwriting to video, creative non fiction and visual arts. We`ll be having our first reading by Lorraine Shannon on the theme of GARDENS at 6.30pm on Thursday 8 August. All welcome to come along and share. SAVE THE DATE!
#planetaryhealth #changethestory #togetherwecan #storytelling #storytellingforchange #planetaryhealthstorytellingnetwork
