The "Sprouts on Earth" project is a maternal and child healthcare initiative jointly launched by the Amity Foundation and Alibaba Foundation in 2018, aims to improve the health of rural pregnant women and newborns, help families of pregnant women overcome hardships, and contribute to rural revitalization.
On January 8, the charity edition of China Social News featured a headline report on the "Sprouts on Earth" project. The article starts with the story of Guo Furong, an expectant mother in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province.
Due to a decrease in household labor and income caused by pregnancy, Guo budgeted her money for antenatal checkups and baby supplies. Fortunately, she received support from the "Sprouts on Earth" project. "The prenatal calcium supplements effectively relieved my leg cramps. Every item in the maternity kit was practical, as if tailored for me and my baby," said Guo.
The initiative has brought hope to pregnant women in difficult circumstances, like Guo Furong. According to Ling Chunxiang, general secretary of the Amity Foundation, the project was initially designed to help preterm infants through the first 1,000 days and assist pregnant women in overcoming hardships.
To date, the project has completed three phases in 24 counties across eight provinces, including Qinghai, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It has provided health checks, nutritional packages, and maternity kits to pregnant women, significantly reducing the costs for families in need. The project has benefited 1.639 million women of reproductive age and donated 453 pieces of medical equipment to grassroots healthcare institutions in these regions.
Cai Jianhua, a senior advisor at the Children's Development Research Institute of the China Development Research Foundation, stated, "Early childhood development has a foundational impact on high-quality population development. Therefore, promoting scientific parenting and advancing early childhood development are issues that need attention in society."
(The name of the beneficiary mentioned in the article is a pseudonym.)
