----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pamela Morrison" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 7:45 PM
Subject: [LACTNET] Re-using old pumps


**Hi Pamela,

> All this indignation about whether pumps should be re-used, or handed 
> down - or not - might need to be put into perspective.  The original 
> question was about the possibility of sending a pump to Afghanistan.

**I didn't see anything about Afghanistan... As far as I know, this was the 
question: "I have a request from a mom who wants to re-purpose/pass along 
her 10 year old Medela Pump In Style Pump. She says it still works fine but 
has no one to give it to. She wondered if I could find someone who could use 
it. Is there a way to re-purpose it or would you recommend it to a mom at 
all if it is 10 years old?  I told her I would ask around...this is how I'm 
asking around."
Someone else said she was going to Afghanistan and would like to take the 
pump with her.

> It's easy to maintain very high standards from a position of privilege, 
> but it's different when you live in a place where every old tyre, piece of 
> string, container, cardboard box or plastic bag is pounced on to be 
> re-used again and again.  In the throw-away society I now live in I'm 
> appalled at the waste. It's all relative ...... right?

**Yes, Pamela, that's absolutely right. Then again... wouldn't it be wise to 
advocate spending part of the aid money on handpumps, if electricity is a 
difficult aspect...? Of course (to save Karleen the hassle... ;-)) in real 
emergency situations, a shipment of highly experienced lc's would probably 
do much more good instead. :o)
It is very difficult... the extreme poverty you speak about, is probably 
hard to imagine for many (most?) of us. What would we be happy with in a 
situation like that? I do think, though, that alertness is warranted. It is 
this reasoning ("something is better than nothing") that caused the ABM 
industry to become so extremely powerful in poor areas. Their influence has 
turned out to be devastating.
I don't say it is absolutely wrong to donate pumps (like I said: companies 
will always say it is wrong, but they have a conflict of interest). I just 
feel that it is good that we discuss it here, because reckless donations 
could, like others mentioned, maybe be more of a risk than a help, because 
of their reduced capacity and also because cleaning may be hazardous due to 
the circumstances.
It truly is a difficult issue...

Bye,

Marianne Vanderveen IBCLC, Netherlands

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome