Recently, Kimberly-Clark’s African American Ancestry Employee Network (AAEN) sponsored a community block party in Atlanta called “Celebrating Birthing Joy”, in partnership with the City of Atlanta and 4Kira4Moms, a non-profit organization dedicated to driving change for black maternal health. AAEN members distributed Huggies® products to community members and donated 5,000 diapers to the 4Kira4Moms diaper pantry.
Alarmingly, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rate among developed countries, with the National Center for Health Statistic reporting that black women are disproportionately affected. They are nearly three times more likely than women of other ethnicities to experience pregnancy-related complications leading to death.
Gabby A., Kimberly-Clark's senior director of research & development for global nonwovens, tragically witnessed the impact of this statistic on several of her friends, including death, loss of a child, and near-death childbirth experiences.
Inspired by her personal experiences and passion for black maternal health, Gabby created AAEN's partnership with 4Kira4Moms in 2021 to drive internal awareness to the crisis of black maternal mortality in the U.S.
"The partnership with 4Kira4Moms was a unique opportunity to harness the power of Kimberly-Clark's brands to advocate for our consumers by tackling this serious issue for Black women," Gabby said.
But that's not all Kimberly-Clark team members are doing to help. U.S. Huggies® brand and Healthcare teams took further action through their eight-year partnership with the Association of Women’s Health Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). Together, they’ve created multiple live webinars, evidence-based maternal clinical practice guidelines, maternal health equity educational tools, and testimonial videos. They're sharing these resources across healthcare systems and consumer retail outlets, and they've already reached over 10,000 healthcare providers with their training and education sessions since 2021.
Valerie J., Kimberly-Clark’s senior Consumer Healthcare Marketing Manager for the U.S. Huggies® Brand said, "The Black maternal health crisis is a public health emergency that requires immediate action. Kimberly-Clark's partnership with AAEN, 4Kira4Moms, AWHONN and Huggies® is a significant step in the right direction to address the inequities that exist in maternal healthcare."
By raising awareness and providing access to education and resources, Kimberly-Clark is helping to break barriers to achieve equity and inclusion in maternal healthcare for all families, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Together, Kimberly-Clark’s people and brands are contributing to its goal of advancing the well-being of one billion people in vulnerable and underserved communities by 2030 and delivering on its purpose of Better Care for a Better World.