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Date: | Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:19:35 -0500 |
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Dear all:
After all those years working in International Nutrition, I truly beleive in finding ways to
assist those in developing areas of the world (which may be in developed countries such
as the US) because I know appropriate programs work.
However, I caution you to look closely if you want to do something specifically FOR
breastfeeding.
If you go to the Gates Foundation website, you will not find breastfeeding listed as one of
their priorities because it is not, despite the fact that breastfeeding is rated as the top
intervention for reducing childhood mortality. Their focus is technology and commodities.
If you look deeply into any one area of health you will find that it focuses on exactly that.
If you look into the GAIN interventions it is not really about breastfeeding at all. It is
about developing a commodity. The question I have and do not have the answer to is
whether or not that commodity will benefit local economies and not those of the
international companies who are producing the product. If you read closely --- the only
thing that they are really doing for breastfeeding is claiming not to interfere with
breastfeeding for that product. Given that the exclusive breastfeeding rates in West
Africa hover around a mere 20% --- the skeptic in me that has read many a proposal for
funding that purports to deliver more than the interventions possible can --- really wants
to look closely into the details of whether that fortified weaning food will merely maintain
the pathetic status quo of a 20% exclusive breastfeeding rate or will actually include
some concrete action that improves those rates. Given the focus of GAIN, they do not
appear to have the right background to actually intervene in a way that improves those
rates.
Opinions will vary on the importance of the interventions that the Gates Foundation Funds.
If you want programs that are really truly interventions to improve breastfeeding I would
donate to organizations that actually focus on breastfeeding rather than pay lip service to
not interfering with it.
Best regards, Susan Burger
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