In the U.S., less than 300 pregnancy-related deaths occur each year. In Nepal, an estimated 13 women die in childbirth or from related complications each day. In the U.S., almost all women give birth under the watch of a trained professional. In Nepal, birth happens at home and is considered culturally impure, so many women labor in cow sheds, with only 8% aided by a trained attendant. The rest go it alone, or are helped by a relative or neighbor. The cord is cut with any sharp object and a coin is used for leverage, both of which can cause tetanus-a potentially fatal disease for many infants. This birthing kit is a miracle of miniaturization and simplicity that contains in its 4 1/2" x 3" box everything needed for a basic but sterile birth-iodine soap, razor blade, plastic "coin," string, a sterile plastic sheet, and pictorial instructions (only 14% of Nepalese women are literate).

Using the kit can help prevent tetanus as well as sepsis, an infection responsible for 15% of maternal deaths worldwide. Developed by the nonprofits Save the Children and the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, more than 6.24 million kits-at a mere 35¢ each-have been sold since 1994. It's hard to say what the impact has been, but the Nepalese have a saying that may shed light: "small drops of water will make a sea."

— Jennifer Block