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

Zubaida Bai: Um kit simples para o parto para as mães do mundo em desenvolvimento

Filmed:
975,456 views

A bolsista TED Zubaida Bai trabalha com profissionais de medicina, parteiras e mães para levar dignidade e intervenções de baixo custo aos cuidados de saúde das mulheres. Nesta palestra breve e inspiradora, ela apresenta o seu kit de parto numa bolsa, que contém tudo o que uma mãe precisa para um parto higiênico e saudável, em qualquer lugar do mundo onde estiver (ou o quão longe estiver de uma clínica médica).
- 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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Nos próximos seis minutos
em que vocês estarão me ouvindo,
00:16
the world will have lost three mothers
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o mundo terá perdido três mães
00:19
while delivering their babies:
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durante o parto:
00:22
one, because of a severe complication;
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uma por complicações severas;
00:26
second, because she will be a teenager
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outra por ser adolescente e seu corpo
não estar pronto para o parto;
00:29
and her body will not
be prepared for birth;
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00:32
but the third, only because of lack
of access to basic clean tools
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mas a terceira apenas pela falta de acesso
a ferramentas básicas limpas
durante o parto.
00:38
at the time of childbirth.
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00:41
She will not be alone.
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Ela não estará sozinha.
00:43
Over one million mothers and babies
die every single year
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Mais de 1 milhão de mães e bebês morrem
a cada ano no mundo em desenvolvimento,
00:47
in the developing world,
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00:49
only because of lack of access
to basic cleanliness
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apenas pela falta de acesso
a cuidados básicos de higiene
00:53
while giving birth to their babies.
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durante o parto.
00:56
My journey began on a hot summer afternoon
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Minha jornada começou na Índia
em uma tarde quente de verão em 2008,
00:59
in India in 2008,
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01:01
when after a day of meeting women
and listening to their needs,
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quando, depois de um dia conhecendo
mulheres e ouvindo suas necessidades,
01:05
I landed in a thatched hut with a midwife.
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fui parar em uma cabana de palha
com uma parteira.
01:09
As a mother, I was very curious
on how she delivered babies in her house.
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Como mãe, eu estava muito curiosa em saber
como ela realizava os partos em sua casa.
01:13
After a deep and engaging
conversation with her
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Depois de uma longa conversa
01:16
on how she considered it a profound
calling to do what she was doing,
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sobre como ela considerava
o que fazia como um chamado,
01:20
I asked her a parting question:
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eu fiz uma última pergunta:
01:23
Do you have the tools that you need
to deliver the babies?
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"Você tem as ferramentas
de que precisa para fazer os partos?"
01:27
I got to see her tool.
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Fui ver as ferramentas dela.
01:30
"This is what I use to separate
the mother and the baby," she said.
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"Isto é o que uso para separar
a mãe e o bebê", ela disse.
01:35
Unsure of how to react, I held this
agricultural tool in my hand in shock.
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Sem saber como reagir, segurei,
chocada, esta ferramenta agrícola.
01:41
I took a picture of this,
hugged her and walked away.
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Tirei uma foto, abracei-a e saí.
01:45
My mind was flooded with reflections
of my own infection
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Minha mente estava inundada
de reflexões sobre a infecção
01:48
that I had to struggle with
for a year past childbirth
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com a qual eu mesma tive de lutar
por um ano após o parto,
01:51
despite having access
to the best medical care,
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apesar de ter acesso
aos melhores cuidados médicos,
01:55
and memories of my conversation
with my father,
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e lembranças da conversa com meu pai,
01:57
who had lost his mom to childbirth,
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que perdeu sua mãe no parto,
01:59
on how he thought his life
would be so different
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e como ele pensava
que sua vida seria diferente
02:02
if she would have been
just next to him growing up.
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se ela estivesse perto dele
enquanto ele crescia.
02:05
As a product developer,
I started my process of research.
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Como desenvolvedora de produtos,
iniciei meu processo de pesquisa.
02:09
I was very excited to find
that there was a product out there
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Eu fiquei muito empolgada ao descobrir
que havia um produto chamado
02:12
called the Clean Birth Kit.
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"Clean Birth Kit",
kit do nascimento limpo.
02:14
But I just couldn't buy one for months.
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Mas por meses não consegui comprar nenhum.
02:18
They were only assembled
based on availability of funding.
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Eles só eram montados com base
na disponibilidade de financiamento.
Finalmente, quando consegui um,
fiquei chocada de novo.
02:22
Finally, when I got my hands on one,
I was in shock again.
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02:26
I would never use these tools
to deliver my baby, I thought.
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Eu nunca usaria essas ferramentas
para dar à luz o meu bebê, pensei.
02:30
But to confirm my instincts,
I went back to the women,
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Mas, para confirmar meus instintos,
voltei às mulheres,
02:33
some of whom had the experience
of using this product.
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algumas das quais tinham experiência
em usar esse produto.
02:37
Lo and behold, they had
the same reaction and more.
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E a reação delas foi a mesma ou pior.
Elas disseram que preferiam
ganhar seus bebês no chão
02:41
The women said they would rather
deliver on a floor
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do que em um lençol plástico
que espalhava sangue por tudo.
02:43
than on a plastic sheet
that smeared blood all over.
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02:46
They were absolutely right --
it would cause more infection.
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Elas tinham toda razão:
aquilo causaria mais infecções.
02:49
The thread provided was a highway
to bacterial infection
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O fio fornecido era uma porta aberta
para infecções bacterianas
02:52
through the baby's umbilical cord,
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através do cordão umbilical,
e a lâmina era como as que os homens
usam para se barbear,
02:54
and the blade used was the kind
that men used for shaving,
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e elas não queriam aquilo por perto delas.
02:57
and they did not want it
anywhere close to them.
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03:00
There was no incentive for anybody
to redesign this product,
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Não havia nenhum incentivo
para reprojetar esse produto,
pois ele era baseado na caridade.
03:03
because it was based on charity.
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03:05
The women were never
consulted in this process.
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As mulheres nunca tinham sido
consultadas nesse processo.
03:08
And to my surprise, the need
was not only in homes
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E, para minha surpresa,
a carência não era só nas casas,
03:11
but also in institutional settings
with high-volume births.
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mas também em instituições
com grande número de nascimentos.
03:14
Situations in remote areas
were even more daunting.
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A situação em áreas remotas
era ainda mais aterrorizante.
03:18
This had to change.
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Isso tinha que mudar.
03:20
I made this my area of focus.
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Foquei essa área.
03:22
I started the design process
by collecting feedback,
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Comecei o processo de projeto
coletando opiniões,
03:26
developing prototypes
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desenvolvendo protótipos
03:28
and engaging with various stakeholders
researching global protocols.
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e me comprometendo com vários investidores
em pesquisar protocolos globais.
03:32
With every single prototype,
we went back to the women
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Com todos os protótipos,
voltamos às mulheres
03:34
to ensure that we had a product for them.
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para garantir que tínhamos
um produto para elas.
03:38
What I learned through this process
was that these women,
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Nesse processo aprendi que essas mulheres,
apesar de sua extrema pobreza,
03:40
despite their extreme poverty,
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valorizavam muito sua saúde e bem-estar.
03:42
placed great value
on their health and well-being.
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Elas não tinham a mente pobre.
03:44
They were absolutely not poor in mind.
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03:47
As with all of us, they would appreciate
a well-designed product
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Como nós, elas apreciavam
um produto bem projetado,
03:50
developed for their needs.
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desenvolvido para suas necessidades.
Depois de muitas iterações,
03:52
After many iterations
working with experts,
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trabalhando com especialistas,
profissionais da saúde
03:54
medical health professionals
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e com as próprias mulheres,
03:56
and the women themselves,
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03:58
I should say it was not
an easy process at all,
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posso dizer que não foi
um processo fácil,
04:01
but we had a simple and beautiful design.
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mas chegamos a um projeto
simples e bonito.
04:05
For a dollar more than what
the existing product was offered for,
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Custando US$ 1 a mais
do que o produto existente,
04:10
at three dollars, we were able
to deliver "janma,"
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por US$ 3 disponibilizamos o "janma",
um kit para parto limpo, em uma bolsa.
04:13
a clean birth kit in a purse.
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Janma, que significa "nascimento",
04:16
Janma, meaning "birth," contained
a blood-absorbing sheet
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contém um lençol absorvente
para as mulheres darem à luz sobre ele,
04:18
for the woman to give birth on,
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04:20
a surgical scalpel, a cord clamp,
a bar of soap, a pair of gloves
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um bisturi cirúrgico,
um grampo para o cordão,
uma barra de sabão, um par de luvas
e um pano para limpar o bebê.
04:24
and the first cloth
to wipe the baby clean.
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04:27
All this came packaged
in a beautiful purse
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Tudo isso vem embalado em uma bonita bolsa
04:29
that was given to the mother
as a gift after all her hard work,
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que é dada de presente à mãe
depois de todo seu trabalho,
04:32
that she carried home with pride
as a symbol of prosperity.
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que ela leva para casa com orgulho,
como um símbolo de prosperidade.
04:37
One woman reacted to this gift.
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Uma mãe reagiu a esse presente.
04:40
She said, "Is this really mine?
Can I keep it?"
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Ela disse: "É mesmo minha?
Posso ficar com ela?"
04:44
The other one said,
"Will you give me a different color
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Outra disse: "Você vai me dar
uma de outra cor,
quando eu tiver meu próximo bebê?"
04:46
when I have my next baby?"
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04:48
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:50
Better yet, a woman expressed
that this was the first purse
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E ainda melhor, uma mulher disse
que aquela era a primeira bolsa
04:52
that she had ever owned in her life.
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que ela já tinha ganho em sua vida.
04:55
The kit, aside from its symbolism
and its simplicity,
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Além do seu simbolismo e simplicidade,
o kit é projetado para seguir o protocolo
médico recomendado globalmente
04:57
is designed to follow
globally recommended medical protocol
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05:01
and serves as a behavior-change tool
to follow steps one after the other.
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e serve como uma ferramenta
de mudança de comportamento
com passos a serem seguidos,
um após o outro.
05:06
It can not only be used in homes,
but also in institutional settings.
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Além de ser usado nas casas,
ele também pode ser usado em instituições.
05:10
To date, our kit has impacted
over 600,000 mothers and babies
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Até hoje, nosso kit impactou
mais de 600 mil mães e bebês
05:14
around the world.
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em todo o mundo.
05:16
It's a humbling experience
to watch these numbers grow,
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É uma experiência gratificante
ver esses números crescerem,
05:19
and I cannot wait until
we reach a hundred million.
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e mal consigo esperar
que chegue a 100 milhões.
05:24
But women's health issues do not end here.
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Mas os problemas de saúde
das mulheres não acabam aqui.
05:27
There are thousands of simple issues
that require low-cost interventions.
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Há milhares de questões simples
precisando de intervenções de baixo custo.
05:31
We have facts to prove
that if we invest in women and girls
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Temos fatos provando que,
se investirmos em mulheres e meninas
05:34
and provide them with better
health and well-being,
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e oferecermos a elas
melhor saúde e bem-estar,
05:37
they will deliver healthier and wealthier
and prosperous communities.
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elas darão à luz comunidades
mais saudáveis, ricas e prósperas.
05:42
We have to start by bringing simplicity
and dignity to women's health issues:
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Precisamos levar simplicidade e dignidade
às questões de saúde das mulheres:
05:46
from reducing maternal mortality,
to breaking taboos,
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desde a redução da mortalidade materna,
até a quebra de tabus,
e o empoderamento feminino para assumirem
o controle de suas próprias vidas.
05:49
to empowering women
to take control of their own lives.
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05:52
This is my dream.
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Esse é meu sonho.
05:55
But it is not possible to achieve it
without engaging men and women alike
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Mas não é possível atingi-lo sem envolver
igualmente homens e mulheres
de todo o mundo.
05:59
from around the world --
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06:01
yes, all of you.
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Sim, todos vocês.
06:04
I recently heard this lyric
by Leonard Cohen:
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Recentemente ouvi esta música
do Leonard Cohen:
06:08
"Ring the bells that still can ring.
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"Toque os sinos que ainda podem tocar.
06:12
Forget your perfect offering.
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Esqueça sua oferenda perfeita.
06:15
There is a crack in everything.
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Em tudo há uma falha.
06:18
That's how the light gets in."
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E é assim que a luz entra".
06:21
This is my bit of light.
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Esta é a minha porção de luz.
06:23
But we need more light.
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Mas precisamos de mais luz.
De fato, precisamos de enormes holofotes
mirando a saúde global da mulher,
06:25
In fact, we need huge spotlights
placed in the world of women's health
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06:28
if we need a better tomorrow.
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se queremos um amanhã melhor.
06:30
We should never forget that women
are at the center of a sustainable world,
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Nunca devemos esquecer que as mulheres
estão no centro de um mundo sustentável,
06:35
and we do not exist without them.
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e nós não existimos sem elas.
06:38
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
06:39
(Applause)
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(Aplausos) (Vivas)
Translated by Cláudia Sander
Reviewed by Raissa Mendes

▲Back to top

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