#ReliefPH: How to Help the Babies and Young Children Affected by #MaringPH
As I write this post, the sky is still overcast and news reports state that a potential tropical cyclone has entered the Philippine area of responsibility, even while the country is still trying to recover from the havoc wreaked by Tropical Storm 'Maring.'
While I am grateful that my own family is safe and dry and was hardly affected by the recent rains and floods brought about by 'Maring' -- save for the flooding of my parents' garage -- my heart breaks at the thought of the hundreds of thousands of people crammed in evacuation centers right now. Some have lost their homes, some have lost loved ones, many still have lost their means of livelihood.
Sadly, this is a scene that is all too familiar. Every year, the Philippines faces heavy rains and the threat of flooding brought about by monsoon rains, tropical storms and typhoons. Sometimes, our countrymen have not even recovered from one disaster and already face another one. It is a terrible, terrible thing to witness, but even more harrowing to experience firsthand, I’m sure.
These past few days, calls for donations to relief drives and for volunteers have been flooding my social media feeds. Our own community, Couples for Christ, has its own relief efforts already in place, along with hundreds other groups and organizations. Indeed, there are many, many ways we can help our affected countrymen and it just goes to show that bayanihan is very much alive among us.
What I wish to highlight in this post, though, is how we can help babies and young children who have been affected by 'Maring,' particularly those in the evacuation centers.
Fellow bloggers Jenny Ong of "Chronicles of a Nursing Mom" and Dr. Francesca "Zeka" To of "House Calls" have both written blog posts that emphasize the importance of NOT donating infant formula in times of emergencies such as the one we’re facing now. So as not to "reinvent the wheel," as they say, I suggest you read their posts in detail here: http://www.chroniclesofanursingmom.com/2013/08/compilation-of-emergency-posts-again-no.html and here: http://drzeka.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/protecting-babies-during-emergencies-how-the-public-can-help/.
Here are some key takeaway points from Jenny and Dr. Zeka's blog posts, and I will directly quote them below:
-- "In times of emergencies such as these, people are panic-ky and easily believe anything. It is a myth that stressed or malnourished moms cannot breastfeed. There is also no need for huge donations of formula milk to evacuation centers." -- Jenny Ong
-- "Distributing any type of milk powder to the general public is not a good idea. Why? Because mothers will use this as infant formula, which is bad because 1) it isn’t suited for consumption by children younger than 1 and 2) it again exposes the infant to illness from contaminated water." -- Dr. Zeka To
-- "During emergencies such as floods, families who have lost loved ones and homes also lose their ability to get adequate nutritious food and also the means to prepare healthy meals. The increase in malnutrition rates may be attributed to this compromised food supply and the food quality of families who are now displaced. For infants, an exacerbating factor is the widespread donations of powdered milk, which undermines breastfeeding, leading to a loss of the protective nutrients found in breast milk. Lack of exclusive breastfeeding puts babies’ health in jeopardy, because of the increased risk of diarrhea and other infections. Globally, an infant not breastfed is six times more likely to die." -- Jenny Ong, who quoted this from this article on UNICEF’s website: http://www.unicef.org/philippines/mediacentre_18129.html#.UhcrdGRsNBw
The article in this link, http://www.irinnews.org/report/97943/pressure-in-philippines-to-end-ban-on-formula-milk-aid is also worth reading, as it cites medical studies that show that formula donations have been linked to increased cases of diarrhea during crises.
Lastly, I leave you with these images, taken from different Facebook pages, which may help you remember the best ways to help evacuees with babies and young children:
Photo: Unang Yakap – EINC Facebook Page
Photo: Child Health Now Philippines Facebook Page
As I’ve mentioned before here, on my personal blog, TrulyRichMom.com, and elsewhere, breastfeeding is BEST for babies… and this is true especially during emergencies and disasters! Please help spread the word — you may just save a baby’s life.
