Toto Care Box Africa Trust is an initiative that seeks to ensure that both the mum and her new born baby are safe during the neonatal period, the first 28 days after birth. They do so by proving essentials necessary to achieve this as they purpose to reduce early maternal deaths. Lucy Kaigutha - founder - aims to decrease infant mortality by dispensing cardboard boxes.
Although access to health is a basic right, a combination of
factors, both social and economic continue to exclude many people from health
services especially women and girls in rural areas and the urban poor. Access
to antenatal care is especially a challenge for the underprivileged women,
hence the need to provide incentives. One of the mothers said that she could
not afford the luxury of taking a day off her casual labour, which feeds her
family of six, to visit an antenatal clinic. Such a visit, she added, would
deny her a Kshs 500 daily wage.
Toto Care works to promote the health and well-being of
newborns in their first 28 days. In addition to the Baby Mwanzo Packs, the
mother also gets free certified training on the use of the box, which contains
a maternal care package with items for the mother and the new born for the most
critical first 28 days.
Each pack contains nappies, cotton wool, a diarrhea kit,
water guard, baby clothes, antiseptic, and handwashing soap. The items are
selected due to their possible impact on reducing the four main causes of new
born deaths in Kenya – malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, gastroenteritis and
neonatal tetanus. The team also educated the mothers on post-natal care of both
mother and baby. They also discussed issues of sexuality.
Maternal health is one of RCM areas of focus. According to
the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014, the maternal mortality rate stood
at 362 deaths per 100,000 live births and 52 infant deaths per 1,000 live
births.