Pat says "I wish I had gobs of time to "translate" the different info sheets."

I have also longed for the time to do this, but am beginning to think it is time
for us literate people to take different approaches to the question of
disseminating information.  Leaflets in general (not just for BF)  -- do they
work?  I think no one (and I am guilty here too, BTW) should be producing a
leaflet they have not trialled with the target group (and how often have you
written a leaflet without identifying your target group clearly?).

Recently my local health authority did a project on weaning for the Bangladeshi
population of Oldham.  Recipies were done in English and  Bangla on laminated
pages and put into files.  Symbols were also used for those of near illiteracy.
The files were given out to women who had pre-school children.  They were given
on a home visit by a Bangla speaking worker, herself from the community (and the
HEA went to some trouble to identify women who would have enough English to
undergo the training, yet be acceptable to the women in the community -- e.g. no
unmarried girls would be able to give such a message in the very traditional
Sylheti community of Oldham).

I understand that slow but sure progress is being made.

To put this in context:  before the project there was a  health visitor who went
each year to the local school with a 98% Bangldeshi intake on the first day of
school with a big box.  "Put your bottle in here" she would say "no bottles at
school".  One boy came to school who would not ingest anything unless it was
from the bottle.  Heartbreaking when Bangladesh is still mostly a breastfeeding
culture -- in that most all women start bf. (Exclusive bf is another matter).

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter
The Breastfeeding Network, UK