£3 a month – an alternative message.
Posted by Josie on Oct 1, 2009 in Uncategorized | 8 comments
Today lots of my favourite bloggers are busy promoting the launch of the Pampers and UNICEF ‘Gift of Life’ Campaign.
Pampers, in association with UNICEF are pledging that during the months of October, November, and December for every pack of Pampers nappies and wipes featuring the logo “1 pack = 1 life-saving vaccine” that you purchase, Pampers will provide the funding for one life-saving tetanus vaccine in less industrialised countries.
Tetanus hasn’t been something to worry about to those of us living in the UK for 50 years, but in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo Tetanus is still a very real threat. In fact it’s estimated that Tetanus is still killing over 128,000 mothers and babies worldwide every year.
Mothers and their babies seem to be especially vulnerable to this disease. Tetanis is caused by bactoeria found in soil and manure and is often contracted when umbilical cords are cut with dirty instruments or through traditional practices such as rubbing the cut with ashes or mud. It’s a horrible disease. Newborn Tetanus develops especially fast and is usually fatal, causing lockjaw that makes babies unable to feed and painful convulsions.
But the cruelest thing is that it’s completely preventable. Cheap and simple immunisations given to woman during pregnancy protect both the mother AND their unborn child.
Pampers, in association with UNICEF have been running their ‘Gift of Life’ Campaign since 2006 and have already raised funding for over 2 million campaigns. It’s a fantastic campaign and you can read all about at the Pampers and UNICEF websites or at these fabulous blogs whose authors attended the launch day of this year’s campaign on Monday:
HOWEVER.
Yes. I do have a however.
Because the reason I’m writing this post is because I have slightly different message today. Because although I support the campaign and the bloggers putting their name behind it absolutely and think they should be proud of their involvement, the message of ‘buy more of our stuff and we’ll save more lives’ doesn’t sit all that well with me. Maybe I’m a cynic, I don’t know. But I am one to speak my mind.
I just want to put this out there.
Maybe you’re like me and have chose to use cloth nappies as a way of lessening your environmental impact and helping to save some money. We do use disposables some of the time and at night but I’m proud to say that for most his life Kai has been a cloth-bottomed boy. Maybe you use washable wipes. Or maybe you use eco-disposibles as a compromise or buy Organic brands of baby wipes. Maybe your children are out of nappies now. Or maybe you haven’t got any children.
I’m not knocking the campaign. It’s a GREAT campaign. I just need to say it. Buying a brand name bag of disposible nappies or a packet of wipes isn’t the ONLY way you can help .
Pampers are offering a Virtual Donation by a way of a free download wherby every download=1 vaccine – I really approve of this option and would encourage you to visit the site and download the song as soon as you get a chance.
However I’m asking you to go a step further.
I’ve been doing some research and have discovered that a Tetanus vaccine costs approx 6p.
6p!!!
By setting up a direct debit with UNICEF for just £3 a month that means you can pay for 33 vaccines a month – in fact if you tick the Gift Aid box option you will add an extra 28p per £1 to your donation so potentially that could actually mean more like 64 vaccinations. Times that over the course of a year and that’s 768 vaccinations. Now I know not all the money from your donation will translate exactly to the cost of a vaccination but still, you get the point.
Your money will also go to help UNICEF’s many other fantastic campaigns – working to provide emergency response in times of global crisis, famine and natural disasters; and their invaluable work to help counter the effect and spread of HIV and AIDS.
I know you’re broke. So am I. But it’s £3. It’s the cost of a cup of tea and a piece of cake in Starbucks, probably less than that (espcially if you tend to go for a Hot Chocolate with extra cream like me).
I won’t be buying Pampers nappies for the next three months, although I do use their wipes sometimes so I guess that’s something. However, I have set up a direct debit this morning as an alternative.
But even if you do buy Pampers or plan to do so to help support the campaign I’m asking you to do this.
Give £3. Give £5 if you can afford or even £2 if you can’t. It’s not a lot. But it’s gift that will keep on giving month after month. And it could make a real difference.
Thanks for listening x
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