GOOD 100: Meet Zubaida Bai, Engineering Kits for Healthier Births

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Zubaida Bai is an engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of AYZH, which works to provide cheap, simple medical necessities to rural women in India and other developing parts of the world. The JANMA Clean Birth Kit, made by and for the women of these underserved areas, has revolutionized access to basic, lifesaving birthing practices, providing healthier futures for both mothers and children.

2013 will see AYZH scaling its core product, the JANMA Clean Birth Kit, throughout India and assessing entry points for the kit in Africa, as well as expanding its product line to meet new needs of existing customers with other “kit style” products that support newborn health, postpartum hemorrhage, and menstrual hygiene.

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Also in the works this year is an education campaign to increase awareness of the importance of clean birth practices.

“Many hospitals in India lack adequately trained medical professionals and sanitary conditions to provide a clean and safe birth,” Bai says.

AYZH also aims to create a Monitoring and Evaluation program to measure the impact of JANMA in hospital settings, as well as its long-term social, environmental, and economic impacts.

Working with nonprofits and hospitals across the nation, Bai has been able to reach women in the most remote areas.

“To date, we’ve sold more than 20,000 units of JANMA globally, impacting more than 100,000 people in India, Haiti, and several countries in Africa,” Bai says. “We’re investing in a skilled business development and sales team to significantly increase sales in 2013 through developing strategic industry collaborations and building strong client relationships,” she says.

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