Bravo to the Indonesian Breastfeeding Promotion Group who are trying to
encourage and prepare candidates for the IBLCE exam. I heard exactly what
you were saying!  In Zimbabwe there are two Lactation Consultants and, like
you, we have also tried to promote our profession with limited resources. We
also find that the cost of books makes acquiring them prohibitive for any
potential candidates.  There is the original cost, freight charges at this
distance, customs duty at about 70% and then the exchange rate, our dollar
to the US dollar (currently 60 to 1), low income, rising COL, unemployment
.. and on and on.

However, on the plus side, I have to tell you of the overwhelming generosity
of Lactnetters and others (thank you so much!) who have packed up their old
editions of Riordan & Auerbach, Lawrence, the Breastfeeding Answer Book, and
many other precious volumes, and posted them to us.  We have also had
wonderful donations from Australia, hand-delivered by Ros Escott when she
came to visit us.  The result is that we have a reasonable library that
wanna-be LCs can dip into, and the appreciation of these girls has to be
seen to be believed!  They are just sooooo grateful.  Even though our pass
rate for the exam is not that great, nothing is wasted, these wonderful
donations have gone a long way towards making sure that appropriate
information is being given out in the hospitals where aspiring candidates
work. And since breastfeeding is so important to child-survival in these
out-of-the-way places, any information which assists is very valuable indeed.

So to anyone who is thinking of re-vamping their library, please do think of
sending your old editions to Indonesia, or Zimbabwe, or South Africa (where
I met incredibly keen nursing staff at the LLL conference in July).  We
don't care how dusty, or dog-eared your books and pamphlets are - every page
is a treasure to people who cannot afford to buy these publications for
themselves!

Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe
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