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

My Moral Compass Little Legacy 18

My good friend T advised me recently, when I felt lost, to think of what my mum would have done, to have her as my moral compass.  

UNICEF is a cause that meant a great deal to my mum.  Recently I went to their offices in London to learn more about the campaign to vaccinate against maternal and newborn tetanus. It was an inspiring day, and resonated with me hugely because I heard so much of it with my mum's passion for UNICEF in mind. 

One of the most poignant parts for me was hearing about Cifora Monier, a second generation UNICEF Communication Specialist, who despite being a mother herself, doesn't know how not to spend months at a time helping in some of the world's war and famine torn zones, because that's what her father did. 


I also had a UNICEF legacy passed down, a rather smaller one, but it made a big impression. I want to carry on a little legacy of giving to UNICEF.  Mum did it by buying UNICEF's beautiful cards and gifts, by monthly direct debit and by joining campaigns.  It means a lot to me to also be able to dedicate blog space to UNICEF.  


Hearing the word mum said lots, seeing pictures of mothers and babies, Dad telling me it was important I went. All this has meant I have been into another one of those vortexes where every time I tried to write this post it wouldn't be written.  Until today.

Did you know UNICEF vaccinate half the world's population in some of the world's most remote locations?  That they are on track to eradicate maternal and newborn tetanus?  That alone amazed me.


What's made it possible for UNICEF to reach some of the world's most remote communities? Corporate sponsors. For example, Pampers funding has enabled UNICEF to help protect 100 million women and their babies in 26 of the world’s poorest countries.  But it's more than that, with corporate sponsors UNICEF can afford to spread their message to supporters globally.  


Here are four easy ways you can help me make a difference.  I've thought about my moral compass, what would Mum have done?  I think she would have gone for option 3, she brought us up in cloth nappies, but was a big Miffy fan and she loved reading stories.

·         Make a difference by choosing the specially marked pack of Pampers –  1 pack = 1 vaccine

·         To connect with other mums, simply “like” the Pampers Facebook page –  1 like = 1 vaccine

·         For all the Miffy fans out there, go to the Pampers Village website and 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 in your area  – 1 download = 1 vaccine


Thank you.

Little legacy is a remembrance project , a positive and creative space, to celebrate small things handed down by predecessors. Feel free to link up a little legacy if you've been thinking about something or someone important this week, or leave one in the comments. Here's the code and here's more on Little Legacy

<a href="http://www.aresidence.co.uk/p/little-small-thing-handed-down-by.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb402/aresidence/acorn2.jpg" border="0" alt="@AResidence "></a>

Photo - A woman and her baby in Papua, Western Indonesia. Credit- Josh Estey

Baby Show tickets giveaway

The generous people at Pampers offered me a pair of tickets to the Baby Show.  It's my birthday that weekend and our baby days are gone. Yesterday that true milestone of the end of the baby days was within sight, there was a wee on the potty.  So in honour of these things, I would like to gift my tickets to a more worthwhile recipient.

The Baby Show is at the NEC Birmingham 20-22 May.  So you need to act fast.  Waste no time in leaving a comment below if you want to enter.  The tickets cost £20 on the door.

And as I have mentioned nappies, I'll leave you with this thought.  Why don't they make them with slogans printed round the top like boxer shorts?  My boy would rock that look.  Sorry rubbish photo but I love it.

Competition closes midnight on Monday, UK entries only, one winner will be picked at random.

Don’t forget to leave a twitter name/ blog address so I can get in touch to get your postal address quickly if you are the winner.