ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Zubaida Bai - Women's health advocate
Zubaida Bai innovates health and livelihood solutions for underserved women and girls around the world.

Why you should listen

Building on her expertise as a mechanical engineer, a social worker and her public speaking skills, Zubaida Bai put her unique passion to work. In the process, she built a brand and a product line, and she set in motion a movement that addresses market failures, breaks taboos and gives voice to the oft-ignored matter that is women’s health.

Bai is the founder and CEO of ayzh (pronounced "eyes"), a social enterprise based in India that designs vital healthcare products to improve the health and happiness of women and girls across their reproductive lives. Bai launched her company with janma, a $3 clean birth kit in a purse, but her story goes further back to when she stood by her mother to face head-on the challenge of survival facing her family when she had just entered her teens.

janma was conceived after traveling to one of the poorest communities in India and confronting the reality that more than one million mothers and babies lose their lives in the developing world each year due to uncleanliness at the time of childbirth. Packaged in a pink biodegradable jute bag, a design that mothers can reuse as a purse, the kit provides both cleanliness and dignity. Since beginning sales in 2012, Bai's company has sold more than 250,000 kits to more than 300 health institutions in 20 countries, touching the lives of more than 500,000 women and newborns. Bai is now expanding her product line to include kits for newborn, postpartum and menstrual health, while scaling her proven model across India and into Africa.

Bai was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a Maternal Health Champion by Ashoka, a TED speaker (Fellow and Resident) and the United Nations SDG Pioneer by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). ayzh's strategic partners from around the world who have written about Zubaida's work: TOMS shared her safe birth story; USAID blogged about how she's empowering women through a simple purse; and Grand Challenges Canada recognizes her lead role in scaling life-changing kits for mothers and newborns.

Bai believes that building a sustainable company takes a great team, stamina and a sturdy suitcase. She is fluent in eight languages and travels the world forging new partnerships and advocating for women's health. She has spoken at events for Women in the World, Pfizer Foundation and Women Deliver. She holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering specializing in development of modular products, and an MBA in social and sustainable enterprises.

More profile about the speaker
Zubaida Bai | Speaker | TED.com
TED Residency

Zubaida Bai: A simple birth kit for mothers in the developing world

झुबैदा बाई: विकसनशील देशासाठी बाळंत साहित्य

Filmed:
975,456 views

TED Fellow झुबैदा बाईनी विकसनशील देशात बाळंत पणात होणाऱ्या मृत्यू टाळण्यासाठी निर्जंतुक साहित्य त्यार्ल केले असून त्याचा वापर करून महिलाच्या आरोग्याची जपणूक केली आहे.
- Women's health advocate
Zubaida Bai innovates health and livelihood solutions for underserved women and girls around the world. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
In the next six minutes
that you will listen to me,
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माझे व्याख्यान ऐकत असताना
पुढील सहा मिनिटात
00:16
the world will have lost three mothers
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तीन आया हे जग सोडून जातील.
00:19
while delivering their babies:
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त्यांचा बाळंत पणात मृत्यू होईल .
00:22
one, because of a severe complication;
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याचे पहिले कारण गुंतागुंतीची अवस्था.
00:26
second, because she will be a teenager
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दुसरे अपरिपक्व वयातील बाळंतपण.
00:29
and her body will not
be prepared for birth;
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ज्या अवस्थेत ती बाळास
जन्म देण्यास असमर्थ असते .
00:32
but the third, only because of lack
of access to basic clean tools
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तसेच बाळाच्या जन्मासाठी
00:38
at the time of childbirth.
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प्राथमिक बाळंतपणाची साधने न मिळणे .
00:41
She will not be alone.
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पण ती काही एकमेव नाही .
00:43
Over one million mothers and babies
die every single year
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दरवर्षी दहा लाख आई व बाळ मृत्युमुखी पडतात.
00:47
in the developing world,
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विकसनशील देशात,
00:49
only because of lack of access
to basic cleanliness
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याचे प्रमुख कारण आहे स्वच्छतेचा अभाव .
00:53
while giving birth to their babies.
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जो पाळला जात नाही बाळंतपणात .
00:56
My journey began on a hot summer afternoon
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माझा प्रवास सुरु झाला कडक उन्हाळ्यात
00:59
in India in 2008,
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भारतात २००८ मध्ये .
01:01
when after a day of meeting women
and listening to their needs,
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त्यासाठी मी दिवसभर मिटिंग घेऊन
महिलांच्या समस्या व गरजा जाणून घेतल्या .
01:05
I landed in a thatched hut with a midwife.
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मी एका पर्णकुटीत पारीचारीके सोबत गेली .
01:09
As a mother, I was very curious
on how she delivered babies in her house.
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आई म्हणून मला जाणून घ्यायचे होते
घरीच बाळंतपण कसे केले जाते .
01:13
After a deep and engaging
conversation with her
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तिच्याशी बरच बोलून झाल्यावर
01:16
on how she considered it a profound
calling to do what she was doing,
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मी तिला तिच्या त्या व्यवसायिक कौशल्याबाबत
तिला काय वाटते ते विचारले.
01:20
I asked her a parting question:
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जाता जाता मी तिला विचारले
01:23
Do you have the tools that you need
to deliver the babies?
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बाळंतपण पार पाडण्यासाठी
आवश्यक साधने आहेत तुझ्याजवळ ?
01:27
I got to see her tool.
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मला ती साधने पहायची होती .
01:30
"This is what I use to separate
the mother and the baby," she said.
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आईची नाळ तोडण्यासाठी मी
हे साधन वापरते ती म्हणाली
01:35
Unsure of how to react, I held this
agricultural tool in my hand in shock.
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मला धक्का बसला ते शेतीचे अवजार पाहून
मला कळेना काय म्हणावे तिला
01:41
I took a picture of this,
hugged her and walked away.
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मी त्याचे छायाचित्र घेतले.
तिला मिठी मारली आणि बाहेर पडले.
01:45
My mind was flooded with reflections
of my own infection
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माझ्या मनात मला झालेला
जंतू संसर्ग घर करू लागला .
01:48
that I had to struggle with
for a year past childbirth
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ज्यामुळे मी मागच्या बाळंत पानाच्या वेळी
वर्षभर झगडत होते .
01:51
despite having access
to the best medical care,
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जरी मला उत्तम वैद्यकीय सेवा मिळत होती.
01:55
and memories of my conversation
with my father,
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मला माझे वडिलान बरोबरचे बोलणे आठवले.
01:57
who had lost his mom to childbirth,
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ज्यांनी आपली आई बाळंत पणात गमावली होती.
01:59
on how he thought his life
would be so different
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त्यांना वाटे आपले आयुष्य
किती चांगले झाले असते
02:02
if she would have been
just next to him growing up.
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जर ती जिवंत असती
व तिच्या कुशीत मी वाढली असती.
02:05
As a product developer,
I started my process of research.
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एक उत्पादक म्हणून मी विचार करू लागली
02:09
I was very excited to find
that there was a product out there
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मला असे एक उत्पादन शोधण्याची
उत्सुकता वाटत होती.
02:12
called the Clean Birth Kit.
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मला ते बेबी कीट
02:14
But I just couldn't buy one for months.
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अनेक महिने घेता आले नाही.
02:18
They were only assembled
based on availability of funding.
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कारण ते आर्थिक सहाय्य मिळाल्यानंतरच
निर्माण केली जात.
02:22
Finally, when I got my hands on one,
I was in shock again.
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मला जेव्हा एक कीट मिळाले मला धक्का बसला.
02:26
I would never use these tools
to deliver my baby, I thought.
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मी असे साहित्य कधीही वापरणार नाही.
02:30
But to confirm my instincts,
I went back to the women,
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मी पुन्हा त्या महिलेकडे गेली.
02:33
some of whom had the experience
of using this product.
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ज्यांना हे वापरण्याचा अनुभव होता.
02:37
Lo and behold, they had
the same reaction and more.
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ध्यानात घ्या त्यांची हि
अशीच प्रतिक्रिया होती.
02:41
The women said they would rather
deliver on a floor
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महिला म्हणाल्या त्यांना पलंगावर
बाळंत होण्यापेक्षा
02:43
than on a plastic sheet
that smeared blood all over.
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जमिनीवर प्लास्टिक अंथरून
बाळंत होणे पसंद आहे.
02:46
They were absolutely right --
it would cause more infection.
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जे रक्नाने माखले जाईल.
02:49
The thread provided was a highway
to bacterial infection
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या साहित्यात जीवाणू सपर्क
होण्याचा मोठा धोका असतो.
02:52
through the baby's umbilical cord,
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बाळाच्या नाळेतून.
02:54
and the blade used was the kind
that men used for shaving,
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जे ब्लेड वापरले जाई ते दाढी करण्यासाठी
वापरायचे असे.
02:57
and they did not want it
anywhere close to them.
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ते जवळ असावे असे कोणालाही वाटेना.
03:00
There was no incentive for anybody
to redesign this product,
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असे साहित्य बनवावे यासाठी कोणतेही
उत्तेजन मिळत नव्हते.
03:03
because it was based on charity.
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कारण ते आर्थिक आश्रयावर चाले.
03:05
The women were never
consulted in this process.
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हे वापरण्यापूर्वी महिलांची परवानगी
घेण्यात येत नसे.
03:08
And to my surprise, the need
was not only in homes
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पण या साहित्याची गरज केवळ घरासाठी नव्हे
03:11
but also in institutional settings
with high-volume births.
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तर मोठ्या प्रमाणात अनेक संस्था वापरत.
03:14
Situations in remote areas
were even more daunting.
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ग्रामीण भागात तर भीषण समस्या होती.
03:18
This had to change.
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आता यात बदल झाला आहे.
03:20
I made this my area of focus.
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मी या समस्येकडे लक्ष्य वेधून घेतले.
03:22
I started the design process
by collecting feedback,
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मी अनेकांशी चर्चा करून
याची रचना तयार केली.
03:26
developing prototypes
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एक प्राथमिक उपकरण तयार केले.
03:28
and engaging with various stakeholders
researching global protocols.
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मी संपर्क साधून आहे जगातील यावर सशोधन
करणाऱ्या सस्थांशी.
03:32
With every single prototype,
we went back to the women
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प्रत्येक प्राथमिक साहित्य घेऊन
आम्ही महिलांकडे गेलो.
03:34
to ensure that we had a product for them.
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जाणीव करून देण्यास असे उत्पादन
तयार करीत आहोत.
03:38
What I learned through this process
was that these women,
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या प्रक्रियेतून मी त्या महिलांकडून शिकले,
03:40
despite their extreme poverty,
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त्या गरीब असूनही
03:42
placed great value
on their health and well-being.
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त्यांच्चे आरोग्य जपणारे
हे मोलाचे साहित्य होते.
03:44
They were absolutely not poor in mind.
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खरेतर त्या मानसिक बाबतीत गरीब नव्हत्या.
03:47
As with all of us, they would appreciate
a well-designed product
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त्यांना आपल्यासाठी असेच आरोग्य जपणारे
साहित्य पाहिजे होते.
03:50
developed for their needs.
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त्यांच्या गरजेनुसार.
03:52
After many iterations
working with experts,
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अनेकदा तज्ञासोबत याचा वापर करून
03:54
medical health professionals
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तसेच आरोग्य व्यवसायी
03:56
and the women themselves,
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आणि महिला यांनी याचा वापर केला.
03:58
I should say it was not
an easy process at all,
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हे सर्व करणे सोपे नव्हते.
04:01
but we had a simple and beautiful design.
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आमचे साहित्य साधे व आकर्षक रचनेचे होते.
04:05
For a dollar more than what
the existing product was offered for,
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आणि केवळ आम्ही यासाहीत्याची किमत
04:10
at three dollars, we were able
to deliver "janma,"
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तीन डोल्लर ठेवून "जन्म" दिले.
04:13
a clean birth kit in a purse.
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एक निर्जंतुक साहित्याची पिशवी देऊन.
04:16
Janma, meaning "birth," contained
a blood-absorbing sheet
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जन्म व्हायचा रक्त शोषक अंथरूण वापरून.
04:18
for the woman to give birth on,
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जे बाळंत पाणी वापरले जाई.
04:20
a surgical scalpel, a cord clamp,
a bar of soap, a pair of gloves
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हातमोजे .सर्ज्र्यचे हत्यार ,साबण ,दोर
04:24
and the first cloth
to wipe the baby clean.
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यात जन्म झाल्यावर बाळाचे पाघरून होते.
04:27
All this came packaged
in a beautiful purse
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हे सर्व साहित्य एका मोहक पिशवीत असे.
04:29
that was given to the mother
as a gift after all her hard work,
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हे सर्व आईला दिले जाई जी
खडतर काळ भोगत होती,
04:32
that she carried home with pride
as a symbol of prosperity.
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ती सर्व घर चालवे उन्नतीसाठी.
04:37
One woman reacted to this gift.
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एकीने यावर प्रतिक्रिया दिली.
04:40
She said, "Is this really mine?
Can I keep it?"
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"खरेच हे मला मिळेल?"
04:44
The other one said,
"Will you give me a different color
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दुसरी म्हणाली "मला दुसऱ्या रंगाचे मिळेल?'
04:46
when I have my next baby?"
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माल जेव्हा दुसरे बाळ होईल
04:48
(Laughter)
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(हशा)
04:50
Better yet, a woman expressed
that this was the first purse
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विशेष हे कि एकीने सांगितले
04:52
that she had ever owned in her life.
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मला आयुष्यात प्रथमच काही मिळत आहे.
04:55
The kit, aside from its symbolism
and its simplicity,
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सकेत व साधेपणा असलेले हे साहित्य
04:57
is designed to follow
globally recommended medical protocol
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जागतिक वैद्यकीय सुचनानुसार आहेत.
05:01
and serves as a behavior-change tool
to follow steps one after the other.
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त्यातील सूचना परिवर्तन आणतील.
05:06
It can not only be used in homes,
but also in institutional settings.
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घरी. मोठमोठ्या आरोग्यकेंद्रात.
05:10
To date, our kit has impacted
over 600,000 mothers and babies
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आतापर्यंत आम्ही हे ६००.०००
आई व बाळांसाठी वापरले
05:14
around the world.
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जगभरातील
05:16
It's a humbling experience
to watch these numbers grow,
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या संख्येची वाढ जागरण मोहीम दाखवीत आहे.
05:19
and I cannot wait until
we reach a hundred million.
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मी याचा वापर दहा करोडवर जाईपर्यंत
स्वस्थ बसणार नाही.
05:24
But women's health issues do not end here.
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पण याने महिलांच्या समसया संपणार नाहीत.
05:27
There are thousands of simple issues
that require low-cost interventions.
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अश्या लाखो समस्या कमी खर्चात
दूर करता येतील.
05:31
We have facts to prove
that if we invest in women and girls
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आमच्याजवळ पुरावा आहे महिला व मुलीसाठी
गुंतवणूक केल्यास
05:34
and provide them with better
health and well-being,
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त्यांचे चांगले आरोग्य व हित जपल्यास
05:37
they will deliver healthier and wealthier
and prosperous communities.
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त्या आरोग्यपूर्ण यशस्वी
पिढी निर्माण करतील.
05:42
We have to start by bringing simplicity
and dignity to women's health issues:
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आपण साधेपणाने आणि त्यांची अस्मिता जपून
त्यांच्या आरोग्याच्या समस्या सोडवाव्यात
05:46
from reducing maternal mortality,
to breaking taboos,
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जेणेकरून मृत्यू कमी होतील.
05:49
to empowering women
to take control of their own lives.
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व स्त्रिया अधिक सक्षम होतील
05:52
This is my dream.
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हे माझे स्वप्न आहे.
05:55
But it is not possible to achieve it
without engaging men and women alike
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यासठी स्त्री व पुरुषांना काम करावे लागेल
05:59
from around the world --
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जगभरातील.
06:01
yes, all of you.
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तुम्हा सर्वाना.
06:04
I recently heard this lyric
by Leonard Cohen:
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लिओनार्ड कोहेन चे गीत मी नुकतेच ऐकले.
06:08
"Ring the bells that still can ring.
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""Ring the bells that still can ring.
06:12
Forget your perfect offering.
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Forget your perfect offering.
06:15
There is a crack in everything.
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There is a crack in everything.
06:18
That's how the light gets in."
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That's how the light gets in."
06:21
This is my bit of light.
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हा एक आशेचा किरण मला दिसतो.
06:23
But we need more light.
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पण आणखी प्रकाश पाहिजे
06:25
In fact, we need huge spotlights
placed in the world of women's health
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खरेतर मोठ्या प्रकाश झोत महिलांच्या
आरोग्याच्या समस्येवर पडला आहे.
06:28
if we need a better tomorrow.
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जर भविष्यकाळ उज्ज्वल करावयाचे असेल.
06:30
We should never forget that women
are at the center of a sustainable world,
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आपल्याला विसरता येणार नाही महिला
जगाच्या अस्तित्वासाठी केंद्रस्थानी आहे .
06:35
and we do not exist without them.
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याशिवाय आपल्याला अस्तित्व नाही.
06:38
Thank you.
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आभारी.
06:39
(Applause)
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(टाळ्या)
Translated by arvind patil
Reviewed by Abhinav Garule

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Zubaida Bai - Women's health advocate
Zubaida Bai innovates health and livelihood solutions for underserved women and girls around the world.

Why you should listen

Building on her expertise as a mechanical engineer, a social worker and her public speaking skills, Zubaida Bai put her unique passion to work. In the process, she built a brand and a product line, and she set in motion a movement that addresses market failures, breaks taboos and gives voice to the oft-ignored matter that is women’s health.

Bai is the founder and CEO of ayzh (pronounced "eyes"), a social enterprise based in India that designs vital healthcare products to improve the health and happiness of women and girls across their reproductive lives. Bai launched her company with janma, a $3 clean birth kit in a purse, but her story goes further back to when she stood by her mother to face head-on the challenge of survival facing her family when she had just entered her teens.

janma was conceived after traveling to one of the poorest communities in India and confronting the reality that more than one million mothers and babies lose their lives in the developing world each year due to uncleanliness at the time of childbirth. Packaged in a pink biodegradable jute bag, a design that mothers can reuse as a purse, the kit provides both cleanliness and dignity. Since beginning sales in 2012, Bai's company has sold more than 250,000 kits to more than 300 health institutions in 20 countries, touching the lives of more than 500,000 women and newborns. Bai is now expanding her product line to include kits for newborn, postpartum and menstrual health, while scaling her proven model across India and into Africa.

Bai was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a Maternal Health Champion by Ashoka, a TED speaker (Fellow and Resident) and the United Nations SDG Pioneer by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). ayzh's strategic partners from around the world who have written about Zubaida's work: TOMS shared her safe birth story; USAID blogged about how she's empowering women through a simple purse; and Grand Challenges Canada recognizes her lead role in scaling life-changing kits for mothers and newborns.

Bai believes that building a sustainable company takes a great team, stamina and a sturdy suitcase. She is fluent in eight languages and travels the world forging new partnerships and advocating for women's health. She has spoken at events for Women in the World, Pfizer Foundation and Women Deliver. She holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering specializing in development of modular products, and an MBA in social and sustainable enterprises.

More profile about the speaker
Zubaida Bai | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM