World Breastfeeding Week in Philippines

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

Children for Breastfeeding (CfB), Inc…

        Preserves the Filipino indigenous way of nurturing our children guided by a deep respect for life and the environment.
         Mobilizes parent and children advocates and other sectors of the society to promote, support and protect breastfeeding through the Seven Acts of Kindness to Support Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers.
         Revives indigenous healthcare and nurturing practices like cooperative or shared nursing and the use of baby slings, strengthens family and community support and other traditional practices that sustained breastfeeding in the past.

Milestones:

Initiated the Presidential Proclamation of the annual celebration of World Breastfeeding Week from August 1-7, 2006 in Malacanang, the official residence of the Philippine President last August 2005.
Established the First Breastfeeding-friendly Mall in the Philippines with SM SuperMalls that will put up Breastfeeding Stations in all SM Malls throughout the country within this year.
Official Guinness World Record on Simultaneous Breastfeeding that mobilized 3,541mothers with the City of Manila.
Established the first Breastfeeding Clinic in a Private Hospital in the Philippines
Conducted trainings on Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care

Our organization, seeks to mobilize children to promote earth-friendly parenting through the Seven Acts of Kindness to Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers.The Seven Acts of Kindness:

      1.      Represents the issues that breastfeeding addresses.
2.      Develops respect for life in the womb and instill in children the value of breastfeeding.
3.      Revives indigenous healthcare and nurturing practices that sustained breastfeeding in the past.
4.      Provides support and inspiration all women need in these crucial stages of motherhood.
5.      Develops social consciousness and social responsibility by guiding children on how they can help in their own little way.

The Seven Acts of Kindness: A PowerPoint Presentation

Suggestion: Please attach a native lullaby while you are playing the presentation.The Seven Acts of Kindness was conceptualized by two breastfeeding advocates Elvira L. Henares-Esguerra, RPh, MD, FPDS, IBCLC and Director, Children for Breastfeeding and Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, IBCLC and Director, Nurturers of the Earth, two of the only three Filipinos who are International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC). They have observed that parents are unaware of the risks of bottle-feeding and even if they are made aware of it, many will resort to mixed feeding and consequently, full bottle-feeding. Alarmed by the realization that the bottle-feeding culture is so deeply ingrained, they saw the need to educate children, the future generation of parents on the superiority of breastfeeding. The exposure of children to mothers who breastfeed will help them internalize that breastfeeding is the norm. A concrete example is when children breastfeed their dolls when they see their mothers breastfeed. Hopefully, this will instill in their young minds that breastfeeding is the most natural and beautiful way of nurturing, when they become parents themselves. To download the presentation, right click here & choose "Save Target As..."

Children for Breastfeeding WBW Activities:

PROCLAMATION NO. 884
Declaring August 1-7 of every year as WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK, by the President of the Philippines

Elvira and Nona during the Global Forum 2 in Tanzania.

August 3

9:00 AM
Media Forum on Children’s Rights
Topic: Bringing Back the Breastfeeding Culture
Speaker: Elvira L. Henares-Esguerra, MD, FPDS, RPh, IBCLC
Topic: Breastfeeding and Human Rights
Speaker: Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, IBCLC
Sponsor: City of Manila

3:00 PM
Launching of the Breastfeeding Station of the SM Mall of Asia, the largest mall in Asia

August 7 (Tentative)
3:30 PM
Candle-Lighting Ceremonies of Children for Breastfeeding Boys Scouts led by Mayor Jejomar Binay, Makati City

Members of Children for Breastfeeding lighting candles to pray for the souls of about 16,000 Filipino children who die each year because they were not breastfed.

August 14
World Breastfeeding Week in Malacanang

With the Philippine President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo in attendance
With the launching of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the National Laws that Protect Breastfeeding
- Launching of the Websites
- Launching of scholarships on Infant and Young Child Feeding and Care Training
Photo Exhibits

1. Breastfeeding and Work:
· A group of women who breastfed exclusively and sustained breastfeeding beyond two years old while pursuing their careers
2. Beauty, Brains and Breastfeeding (BBB)
· A group of mother celebrities and professionals in gorgeous gowns who breastfed their babies
Co-Sponsors: Fashion-Designers Association of the Philippines

For more information, please contact:
Elvira L. Henares-Esguerra, MD, FPDS, IBCLC
(632) 631-9193
children_for_breastfeeding@yahoo.com

Nona D. Andaya-Castillo, IBCLC
(632) 271-0954 and (632) 444-4716
nurturers2005@yahoo.com.ph

Other Activities:
Sponsors: Department of Health, UNICEF Philippines, World Health Organization Philippines

August 1 – 2
National Technical Conference on Breastfeeding
August 4
Inter-NGO Round-Table Discussion on Breastfeeding