Time to think outside the box

It's just a box right?  Or is it a robot? Or is it a life?

From time to time we buy Pampers.  I'd clicked it said Unicef on the packaging, that Pampers donated a vaccine for each pack. I hadn't thought much beyond that being nice.  Until I got in a speed boat with Tara Cain of Sticky Fingers blog.

Not a real speedboat of course, a metaphorical speedboat, at the Unicef offices in London.  The gathering of bloggers was divided into two groups and tasked with deciding what equipment and staff would be needed to set up a vaccination station in a remote Indonesian village.  We had to study a hand sketched map and decide where to set up.  I had no idea how complicated it would be, how many conflicting factors we would have to weigh up.

Tara and I decided to be the healthworkers in the speedboat, Mamasaurus was the local doctor and Hot Cross Mum loaded us up with kit.

I learnt simple things like a packet of biscuits can encourage reluctant villagers to come forward, that setting up in the shade by the chief's house builds trust, that a tape measure can help you estimate a child's age, that a bucket makes a handy seat at a good height to vaccinate from.

Unicef start with the hardest to reach people in the world.  I was sitting next to Tara as we were told of long journeys by plane, smaller plane, speedboat and canoe, to reach the world's most remote populations.  Unicef's policy is to seek out the hardest to reach communities first.  As soon as the talk finished I looked at Tara amazed, because Tara went with UNICEF on a journey like this over the summer.

Unicef vaccinate over half the world's children.  They are making a huge difference in the fight to eradicate maternal and newborn tetanus. Pampers funding has enabled UNICEF to help protect 100 million women and their babies in 26 of the world’s poorest countries.  Their work is amazing.  Have you spared a click or two to help yet?

Time to think outside the box. As well as buying Pampers you can:

 Like the Pampers Facebook page –  1 like = 1 vaccine

Personalise your very own Miffy book for your little one –  1 read = 1 vaccine

Download the free Pampers Out and About App and find baby friendly locations
 – 1 download = 1 vaccine