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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