World Breastfeeding Week in Chile

World Breastfeeding Week Around the World: Chile World Breastfeeding Week in other countries

Mammalia is a community organization whose efforts are to protect, promote and support breastfeeding by providing up to date information and support to mothers, their families, health care professionals and the community in general. We work towards building better relationships between mothers and their babies, thus expanding this well being unto the rest of the community.

Our organization ha been functioning since the year 2001 and is made up of a group of active mothers and some health care workers.Our main objectives are:
1)      To provide women the necessary breastfeeding support in the pre-natal, and post natal periods, through mother to mother support groups, telephone and personal assistance.
2)      To enable women from low socioeconomic sectors to access to this information, which is especially written in a simplified manner thus making it, easy to understand and make their interest and motivation grow.
3)      To provide up to date information about breastfeeding in local and simple language through printed materials and through our presence in community activities, as well as through our library established at the Casa-Taller, a local community center.
To identify new community leaders who like us have a special interest in protecting and promoting breastfeeding. We want our work to continue to be carried out in the future and through generations to come.

2006 WBW Activities In Chile

For World Breastfeeding Week 2006, Mammalia will create and distribute 2006 pamphlets written in a straightforward and simple way, about the history and main aspects of the International Code.

In addition, we will collect cans and empty containers which we will transform into local milk substitutes brands and display them in order to raise the question about this commercial interference. By displaying these cans we will also be able to illustrate how breastfeeding also has the benefit of being ecologically sound for the community.

This pamphlet and breast milk substitutes “containers” will be distributed and displayed during World Breastfeeding Week in two ways,
1) Visits and booth set up at our local health clinic and our local hospital

2) Visits and booth set up at our local medical school, nursing and midwifery school and at a social sciences university

At the first site we will reach out to a large number of pregnant and new mothers who come to these health clinics daily. Also health professionals who make the primary care team will have a chance to access this information and guide them on making their health care facility a more baby friendly one.

At the second site we will reach out to nursing, midwifery, medicine and social sciences students who will also benefit from this information in order to widen their perspectives within their area of work as doctors, nurses, midwives, psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and anthropologists. We see it as a great chance to spark their interest and provide them with formal information.

Our timeline is the following:

June 2006
Adaptation and translation of text.
Design and printing of pamphlet.
Design and printing of flier-invitation to Opening and Closing acts.
Recollection of cans.
Outreach.

August 1^stOpening Act at El Litre Health Clinic

August 2^ndVisit and booth set up at Van Buren Hospital, Valparaiso

August 3^rd Information table at Victoria Square

August 4^thVisit and booth set up at El Litre Health Clinic

August 7^thVisit and booth set up at Van Buren Hospital, Valparaiso

August 9^thInformation table at Victoria Square

August 10^th Visit and booth set up at El Litre Health Clinic

August 11^th Visit and booth set up at El Litre Health Clinic

August 14^thVisit and booth set up at Arcis University

August 15^thVisit and booth set up at Nursing and Midwifery School, University of Valparaiso

August 16^thVisit and booth set up at Medical School, University of Valparaiso

August 17^thVisit and booth set up at Nursing and Midwifery School, University of Valparaiso

August 18^thClosing Act at Arcis University