Posted by Rajan Patel
Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:17:00 GMT
Sujatha is a young mother from the village of Krishnamylur, about three hours outside of Bangalore.
Sujatha’s story is a typical one in India: she has endured the death of all three of her children (hear her story here).
When we met with Sujatha, she talked to us about her dream to raise a healthy child, one that would achieve great things in life. However, Sujatha’s first two children died within two days of birth. One child was born at a government hospital which we saw firsthand. Small, dark, and dirty, the local government clinic even placed babies on the floor due to lack of chairs or beds.
Sujatha’s second child was born at home, two months premature. She described watching her baby turn blue from being cold. In efforts to warm the baby, her husband built a glass box to place him in and hung a lightbulb on top to keep him warm. But it was simply not enough.
Though the village doctors and her family urged her not to try for another child, she got pregnant with a third baby, having faith that things would be different. After she gave birth to her third child, Vishal, the doctor told her that he would survive no more than two weeks, as he was in extremely poor health. Her family told her that even if he were to survive, he would be disabled and thus be a burden to the family.
Her response was steadfast: "Then I will work hard and move to the city. I will put him in a school that accepts him and he will grow up to be strong and successful. I will do whatever it takes." After 8 months, Sujatha’s hopes were once again crushed.
Even after the loss of three children Sujatha was not stripped of her hope and courage. She adopted a healthy daughter, who is now 4 years old. And after we spoke to Sujatha, seven other mothers from the village came forward to tell us their stories. We learned that all of them had lost at least one child. Amazingly they also exemplified the same enduring hope.
We showed all these mothers our product and explained Embrace’s mission. After listening and observing one mother spoke.
"If this had been here a few years ago, I could have been a mother. I could have saved my baby. We want make sure this doesn’t have to happen to the future mothers of our village."
While incredibly saddened by these stories, we were also uplifted to see how hopeful, courageous and capable these women were, and how they are desperate to lift themselves out of their current conditions. All they need is the opportunity, and access to basic health care, so they can fulfill their deepest desires to be mothers and to raise children.
As we left the village we asked these women one last question. We asked them if there was anything they wanted us to bring back the next time we came.
Sujatha simply replied, "better healthcare."
We hope our product will fulfill this wish.
Posted by Ana Manzur-Allan
Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:31:00 GMT
At this time of year, holiday gift guides are not in short supply. At Embrace we are very excited to put out our first ever Embrace Holiday Gift Guide. But instead of highlighting the coolest, latest and most expensive gadgets, we wish to highlight simple, heartwarming, far-reaching, unusual holiday traditions, and un-consumery things and gifts. We’ve asked the folks at Embrace, and this is what we have come up with. Oh! And we’ve also included our far-reaching Embrace Holiday Selection that will help save babies…Happy Holidays!
Our team of experts recommend:
- I love to read, so what I do is that I select a couple of my favorite books that I’ve read throughout the year, and give my copies to my closest friends. I include a selection of teas to help them settle into a great book. Rahul, Co-founder and President of Rural Products.
- I love to give holiday gingerbread cookie ingredients + the recipe in a jar; just mix and bake! Voila! Christina, Business Developent Manager.
- I have recently gotten into brewing my own beer. This year I’m planning to throw a dinner party for my friends to sample my creation. Linus, Co-founder and COO.
- Write a letter or a haiku poem to a friend - with pen and paper! Then you could deliver it using a fake-Basho voice. Nag, Co-founder and President of Urban Products.
- My mother still write me letters from Santa – surprise your family members (regardless how old they are) with a letter from the North Pole. Ho ho ho! Jane, Co-founder and CEO.
- I think anchovies are a great gift that nobody gives anymore! Eu-Wen, Product Manager.
- I owe a lot to my family and friends but unfortunately haven’t stayed in touch with many of them as much as I would like to. This holiday season I’m simply going to call up and connect with many of them! And I’ll treat a few lucky ones to a meal at my favorite culinary institution: Taco Bell. Rajan, Product Manager.
- Diamonds! But if you can’t afford diamonds - a really nice dinner to a romantic place will do. Kamalika, Lead Clinical Researcher.
- A pair of hand knitted socks! Wooly and warm! Honey, Product Designer.
- Give a designer friend, a new set of coloring pens, a sketch book, and a copy of your favorite tunes. Mustaq, HR and Admin Manager.
- We always make ciopinno for Xmas dinner and bake the ultimate cheesecake (from Tyler Florence) for dessert. Christmas has become my husband’s favorite time of the year, because he gets to eat a whole cheesecake by himself! This year I am including a gym membership along with the cake ;) Ana, Business Development Manager.
- When I was little, my mother used to do something very cool for my birthday. The night before, she would spread out lots of hand-cut sparkly confetti all over my bedroom floor. So when I woke up in the morning, I knew it would be a special day! I recommend you do the same for your kids this Christmas - spread out hand-cut paper snowflakes on the kids’ bedroom floor at night, or even hang them from the ceiling, so they wake up to a “snowy” Christmas morning! Esha, Head of Business Development.
- Last but not least, Embrace, has joined forces with like-minded Mom designers to offer the Embrace 2010 Holiday Collection, including premium baby blankets, charms, and holiday cards. With each purchase from our Holiday Collection, profits will help vulnerable infants in developing countries. Help us share the gift of warmth today and share our mission with your loved ones this holiday season.