HUNDREDS of indigent pregnant women in Mabalacat City and nearby Angeles City and Porac town have benefitted from the birthing program sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mabalacat (RC Mabalacat).

RC Mabalacat Past President Gloria Nethercutt said they implemented the project, with the assistance of Rotary Club of Masan-Rose from Korea, to help women with limited resources particularly during this time of Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the program, Nethercutt said the beneficiaries undergo a free month-long training with four sessions on child birth and care, family planning and other subject matters.

Participants in this continuing project are provided free cribs, baby accessories, vitamins and other support like free check-ups courtesy of the two clubs.

Nethercutt said a total of 250 pregnant women qualify under the program of RC Mabalacat, headed by its President Denzil Langwas.

She said the idea about the project after they visited a government hospital in Pampanga to donate masks and PPEs for medical frontliners in the prevention of the Covid-19.

The Rotarians observed that many women were waiting for their turn to see a doctor or a midwife and the majority of them were indigent.

She said they have allotted 50 slots for participants in Barangays Pampang in Angeles City and another 50 for Barangay Sapang Biabas in Mabalacat City.

In an Aeta village in Porac town, RC Mabalacat allocated 150 slots for the indigenous people, according to Nethercutt.

The club coordinates with the leaders of the said villages for the smooth implementation of the program.

Nethercutt said a committee is in charge with the screening of the candidates in their program who were recommended by the barangay leaders.

"We have a committee who visits the house. We interview each candidate endorsed by the barangay," she said.

The club limits the number of participants to 15 to 20 per batch to make sure that social distancing and other Covid-19 health standards are observed, according to Nethercutt.

"The Rotary global grant developed by RC Mabalacat and RC Masan Rose Korea would provide the much needed training for pregnant women and new mothers to learn how to take care of themselves during pregnancy, upon delivery and after child birth," she said.

“The training would lessen chances of birth defects due to neglect, poor hygiene and sanitation and other factors linked to the family's state of poverty,” Nethercutt added.