Pepi-pod project updates

This page is to keep our wonderful team of supporters connected and informed. If you are making covers, or have made covers, or any other items in the pepi-pod pack,  here is where you can track progress with matching them to babies.

 4 Sept 2011   Today we close the national appeal for pepi-pod covers on the anniversary of the first of the major earthquakes to hit Christchurch. We have had an extraordinary year here, marked by generosity and care from across the nation. The peip-pod response is but one example of how New Zealand people showed they cared.

We are now giving back as requests for pods come from regions.  What started as an emergency response to crisis is now a coordinated intervention that is here to stay. Thank you to every person who has been part of making this happen. It is a story of which to be proud.

If you have enjoyed being part of sewing for babies, then your local region will still need you. Hamilton, South Auckland and Hawkes Bay all need people now to sew covers. Fabric will be pre-cut and supplied so it is just the sewing. Email us on pepipod@gmail.com if you want to be part of protecting local babies. We can put you in touch with local coordinators.
 25 August 2011   Another 9 lovely covers has arrived from Mapua near Nelson. Thank you to Christine and Sheryl. This is the second lot we have received from Christine making 15 in all.
 13 July 2011   And still those packages keep coming. The one today was from the women of Creative Arts of Tokoroa. Thank you, ladies, and thank you to all the other kind people who have sewn for us in the past weeks including the students of Woodford House in Hawkes Bay.

You will be pleased to know that we have found a way to keep funding the pepi-pod until a more permanent solution comes our way. From 1st August 2011, we will offer them to participants of our Smokechange programme for pregnant women who smoke, and supply, on a cost recovery basis, to agencies and professionals wanting them in bulk to provide to parents.

The Hawkes Bay pepi-pod and wahakura initiative is soon to be underway. This is the first DHB to provide safe sleep options to babies in the region. South Auckland is close behind and is gering up for a fundraising effort to provide 1000 before the end of 2011. If we can support South Auckland to be saturated with pepi=pods or wahakure, then we ought to notice a marked drop in infant deaths this year. This is what you are all part of.
     
 23 May 2011   We have lost a month. Anyone seen it?! We got busy, then there was Easter, then we got busy again. In the meantime those packages kept coming. Thank you!

We are now into phase two of the project. We are restocking, rethinking how to make this sustainable, and seeking feedback from users. We were very pleased to get some one-off support from the Ministry of Health to help with costs. And we are gathering what we have learned into a set of principes to guide other regions.

Surprisingly, the wrap around sheet is proving to be a significant part of the support. Many parents tell us that their babies are settling more easily when wrapped in the 'earthquake wrap' of under the mattress then over the baby one way and then the other. We are supporting other regions to get started with providing pepi-pods before winter arrives, in the sincere hope that we can reduce significantly the waste of baby lives that winter usually claims.
     
 20 April 2011    Most of the call and emails today started with " yesterday my sister got a pepi-pod and I was wondering how I can get one for my baby ..." We now have  allocated 271 pepi-pods in just one month! Thank you everyone who has helped - from people sewing, media people, health professinals and families. 
 19 April 2011    Our day in Linwood was similar although not as cold. Seeds were sewn for more conversations about protecting babies when they sleep. When we give out a pepi-pod, we also give out a role - to pass the learning on. Now we have a whole new group of people promoting health and safety for babies to others in their whanau and friend ship groups.
 18 April 2011   As if TV support was not enough to set us up for a great day, our team arrived at Aranui to a room of people waiting for a pepi-pod. This was the start of our door to door blitz and people were coming to us. We headed out into the freezing and stormy day and went street by street on foot, offering pepi-pods to families with young babies, and we came home 53 pepi-pods lighter. Tomorrow we do Linwood. It is thanks to all our helpers that we can do this.
 18 April 2011   Chartlotte Balliss of the breakfast show gave the pepi-pod a wonderful plug on 'regional round-up this morning. She said all the right things, said them strongly including the importance of smokefree families as much as safe places to sleep in protecting the life of a baby. It is every health advicates dream to have an attractive and popular presenter promote your issue on national TV. Thank you Charlotte. (Can see the clip here 3.55 mins in.)
 17 April 2011   Dianna and Muriel from the Girls Bridage of sewing bees were buzzing all weekend to be able to supply us with enough flanellette sheets for the pepi-pod blitz of the eastern suburbs this week. THese are the suburbs where the earthquakes have hit hardest, including the 5.3 on Saturday night. WE had only sourced the fabric from Nelson a week earlier, had had it cut professionally to speed up the sewing and then collected and shared out by these wonderful women of the Girls Brigade. Always cheerful, always able to take more. We are nmeeting some fabulous people through this project
 16 April 2011    Dale and husband Peter arrived from Blenheim today bearing bags of goodies for the pepi-pod project AND CAKE! Wth friends Wyn, Barbara and Lynn, Dale has sewed 43 under blankets, 41 pillowcase sheets, 24 wrap sheets, 15 merino blankets and 28 lovely covers. As if that is not enough she went out the door with fabric and trim to make another 20 covers. This is why I am certain we will reach our goal of 1000 covers by June. Dale was able to meet Cassie who had come to collect her pepi-pod which had Dale's cover on it. See the photos.
 13 April 2011   Today we do a leaflet drom in key streets of Aranui, Bexley and Linwood to let people know we will be in the region on Monday and Tuesday next week offering pepi-pods to famiies with babies under 4 months. THanks to ll the great seing that has been happening, we are able to supply in large quantities at once.
 12 April 2011    Helen and Alison from Ashburton sent in 13 each of covers and sheet sets, Just in time for the blitz distributioon of the hardest hit parts of Christchurch
 11 April 2011    Rosemary, who has been coming and going taking away fabric and returning with it made into sheets and covers, arrived with 28 covers that she and her friends from the Canterbury East Federation of Womens' institutes had made in the most lovely furnishing fabrics. As well there was a pile of the sweetest little jumpers.
 4-8 April 2011    Not a day went past this week without a courier pack at the font door, usually several. Once there was even a suitcase of goodies from Jenny from Dunedin. We have had covers and more from Barbara from Whakatane, Mary from Palmerston, Sharlene, from Westmere, Juy from Wairoa, Gwen, from Rotorua, Rae from Christchurch.
 2 April 2011    Mara from Matamata and her team of helpers have sent down 62 covers with driver neighbour Gary. What fun we ave had sorting through al these treasures.
 1 April 2011   Today 8 boxes containing 300 covers arrived from the National Women's sewing bee last week. They are just gorgeous. As parents and relatives come to pick up their pepi-pods and see the card that says who has made their covers et cetera, they are quiet with appreciation. This is really valued here. It is awesome.
     
 31 March 2011   At 9:30 am today a team of 5 turned up in response to a call on Facebook. We needed help us get the handles and stickers off the base containers and place our sticker on them that transforms them into a pepi-pod. It was fabulous support thank you: Jo, Earl, Iris, Janet and Pam. Look at this!

Later in the morning a box arrived from Sylvia, Auckland, who enjoyed the National Women's sewing bee so much she just kept going, and, with some friends, produced another 32 colourful wrap-around sheets.

Next thing, Margaret from Cashmere turns up with 54 sheets she had taken away to edge followed soon after by Marie from Pegasus with 60!

By lunch-time we had also received 3 covers, 4 wrap sheets and 9 under blankets from Gay in Northland.
     
 28 March 2011   Natasha from Wellington has sent in another five covers, Christine from Nelson has sent in six, Lyn from Christchurch has made three covers and six wrap sheets, Marie has made two covers. A big thank you! Acknowledgement also goes out to the team of people sewing sheets, finding blankets and coming and coming and going from HQ: Rae, Philippa, Helen, Jocelyn, Kay, Ruth, Helen, Lynn, Yvonne, Ruth, Karen, Barbara, Mia, Lyndsay, Dianne, Kay, Margaret, Jenny, Ade, Margaret, Emily, Liz and Annette. Many thanks for everyones contribution and support.
     
 22 March 2011   Julie from Auckland has made five covers, Win from Wellington has made two, four from Amanda in Pukekohe, three from Ruth in Rotorua, five from Phyllis in Papatoetoe, and another four from Rosemary in Christchurch; all received in the last week. All original and beautifully made!
     
 16 March 2011   An Opotiki midwife has sent us eight colourful covers - eight! As well Lyndal from Christchurch left a package at the door with two beautifully made covers with liittle appliqued owls on the head board.
     
 15 March 2011      More covers today from Barbara in Christchurch, all different and lovely. We also got the much awaited delivery of mattresses and received our first formal referral from a Christchurch midwife. The system is working.
     
 14 March 2011   Today the first covers arrived in the post. They were from Joan in Auckland. They are gorgeous!