As darkness began to settle in Nepal Tuesday night after the second earthquake hit, a newborn baby’s cry restored the spirits of a team of nine Canadian Red Cross aid workers in Khukondole. Working in darkness by the light of her headlamp, Canadian Red Cross nurse Lynn Henderson delivered a healthy baby girl.
Canadian Red Cross delegate Lynn Henderson holds one of the babies she helped deliver in Khukondole, Nepal at the basic health care unit set up by the Red Cross. Photo credit: Dawn Anderson
This was the second baby born at the Red Cross basic health care unit set up in Khukondole and the significance of her arrival resonated with all of the staff. “It was such a contrast to the traumatic day everyone had endured. It was really an incredible moment that pulled everyone together,” said Dawn Anderson, a nurse on mission in Nepal with the Canadian Red Cross. “The birth of a healthy baby is one of the best things that can happen on mission,” she said.
This birth was the second baby born at the health care centre. The first child arrived on May 7, the first day the centre opened. Nurse Lynn also delivered the child and her reward was exceptional; the mother of the healthy baby boy named her son Leilynn in honour of Lynn.
Nurse Dawn Anderson at the airport in Nepal, from where equipment was shipped to the remote community of Khukondole.
Coincidentally, while on mission in Nepal, Dawn Anderson learned that she's a recipient of the 2015
Florence Nightingale Medal honouring excellence in nursing in conflict situations or natural disasters, awarded by the ICRC.
Twenty-five Canadian Red Cross aid workers are currently in Nepal providing support to those affected by the earthquakes.
Learn more about the mission in Nepal, and/or
donate to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.