During their regular meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, club president Ben Babauta said the baby care program is one of their top priorities for the year.
Yesterday’s guest speaker, Karen Benson of Curves, said she works with the volunteer program at CHC that takes care of the newborn babies’ needs.
“Last year, we distributed over a hundred kits to newborn babies at CHC,” Benson said.
Each kit consists of a baby blanket, diapers, soap, shampoo, socks, cap, and a baby outfit – “things that a baby needs during the first few days before he leaves the hospital,” Benson said.
“You may be surprised to know that a lot of women come to the hospital without baby things and even a blanket. Some babies are brought home wrapped in a towel,” she added.
Benson said some of the kits came from friends in the states but they are also receiving a lot of support from the local community.
“We had been receiving donations and help from community members like in the knitting of blankets to keep the newborn baby warm in the hospital,” she said.
A group of women and young people are also helping out in putting the contents of the baby kits together and getting them ready for distribution, Benson said.
“This is one project where support from the Rotary Club is much welcome as over a hundred babies are born at the hospital every month and our limited supplies could not meet the demand,” she added.
