Using the media to support appropriate infant and young child

feeding in emergencies

“Babies need support” Cyclone Sidr

© Sirajul Hossain www.sirajul.com

Bangladesh case study

What did the media say??

40 articles mentioning feeding babies

External government milk powder donations 16External government baby food donations 4Internal government supply funds for“baby food” 3Internal government request donors to supply“baby food” 2Internal government distribution of “baby food”/powdered milk

2Military distribution of milk powder 2Military saying milk is needed for babies 2Internal government direct government agency to distribute “baby food” 1

Government or military involvement

Aid agency involvementAid agency distributing “baby food”/milk powder 3

Request from aid worker for “baby food” 1

Aid agency worker says parents areasking for milk 1

Ad hoc distribution 1

Source: Baby born during the cyclone. CBC News, Canada, Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh

Situational reportsShortage of “baby food”/milk powder 6Many mothers cannot breastfeed 4Personal stories of inability to breastfeed 3Cannot breastfeed because of no food 2Personal story of needing “baby food” or milk 2Diarrhoea in children a problem 2Short-term distribution of milk powder 1Complementary food distribution for babies and toddlers 1Infant death due to pneumonia 1

UNICEF reports

Distribution of rations for pregnantand lactating women 5

Personal story of woman unable tobreastfeed because of lack of food 1

Breastfeeding supporting child survival 0

Need to target infant formula 0

Risks of formula feeding 0

Genuine belief that stress or poor nutrition dries up milk

Genuine belief that infant formula will be good for their baby

Why might mothers ask for infant formula?

Baby Formula Battle Goes to Manilla CourtThe T'boli tribal women in the remote… southern Philippines are confused by the message that they should shun baby formula for breast milk. It's not what the advertising says. Often, it's not what their doctors and midwives say. "The aspiration of the T'boli was if they had money, they would buy the milk, because every night they see milk advertisements on television," Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Australia. Philippines, 2007

Reminder: the media is important

In the days following the Yogyakarta earthquake, the media becomes one of the most powerful tools in rallying public support and distributing aid to those in need. Media-driven public aid continues to flow to stricken areas, regardless of the bickering of politicians. Media Group's Humanitarian Purse for Yogya and Central Java, for example, has collected … 2,846 boxes of milk.Source: Jakarta Post, Indonesia. Yogyakarta Earthquake, Indonesia, 2006.

In emergencies, the general public is interested in the well being of babies and therefore the media is also interestedThey are looking for stories on infants and young childrenThere is the opportunity to use this to promote appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies

Filling the void

Current media messages Desired media messagesBabies are vulnerable Babies are vulnerable

Large amounts of infant formula is needed and it should be freely distributed

Usually small amounts of infant formula is needed and distribution should be tightly controlled

Infant formula is safe (or can be made safe)

Infant formula is dangerous (even with clean water)

Formula aid is “proper aid” Real aid need not involve goods

Breastfeeding is fragile and unreliable Breastfeeding is robust and reliable

Breastfeeding support is not needed Breastfeeding support is required

It is safe to distribute milk powder freely

Distribution of milk powder should be controlled

Making use of the media

Include key messages in press releases:

The number one strategy for protecting babies involves supporting breastfeeding

Stress does not dry up mothers milk, mothers experiencing breastfeeding difficulties need support

Infant formula is dangerous and a last resort

Mothers with low milk supply can increase it, mothers can restart breastfeeding after weaning

Distribution of infant formula and milk powder should be tightly controlled

Other suggestions

Tell members of the public how they can help, Tell them how not to help

Breastfeeding support “products,” promote the idea that aid does not have to be in the form of “stuff”

UNHCR for AustraliaWith your help, UNHCR can take immediate action to set in place necessary food programs and help nourish refugee children in camps in

Darfur and Kenya. Here are some of the emergency foods that you'll be helping to provide:$105 can provide 34 cartons of F100 therapeutic milk which treats severely malnourished children.$250 can provide 13 cartons of PlumpynutEach carton contains 150 sachets. It takes three sachets a day to keep a malnourished child well.

Enlist the assistance of child health and breastfeeding advocates in getting the message across

Ensure infant formula or powdered milk is not listed as a priority relief item in press releases

Lose the “breastfeeding is best” and “benefits of breastfeeding” messages

Talk about the importance of breastfeeding and the vital nature of breastfeeding to babies

Talk about the risks of early weaning from breastfeeding and non-exclusive breastfeeding

Talk about the risks posed by infant formula

Do not be afraid of using emotive language

BUT do not use breastfeeding failure to emphasise the dire nature of the situation

Tell stories

Putri and Angi, first baby conceived after Tsunami, Aceh.Source: Plan International.

Depression and hunger stalk tsunami survivors Born on September 23, Angi is the first known baby conceived and born after the December 26th tsunami… Angi, who is being bottle-fed because her mother’s tsunami rations do not give her the strength to breast-feed, owes her robust health… to a health clinic the children’s aid group Plan International set up in her village. Source: Reuters. Indian Ocean Tsunami, Aceh, Indonesia

Rewriting exampleBorn during the cyclone

About 100 veiled women with their children had been waiting in a relief queue in Southkhali since morning. Hanufa, 25, said her son was born on the night of 15 November as the cyclone ripped through the village. It has become extremely difficult for Hanufa to manage even one meal a day for her daughter and herself. “I am trying to breastfeed, but I stopped lactating as I am weak and underfed,” she said. Hanufa lost her house and all her belongings in the cyclone. She is living in a shelter with her two children. Volunteers helped Hanufa get her share of BP-5 high-energy biscuits, and a UNICEF staff member briefed her on the nutritional value of the biscuits. Source: UNICEF. Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh, 2007.

Include: Breastfeeding support, feed the mother feed the baby, breastfeeding support ensuring the survival of the baby

Note on emergency preparedness

Maximising survival of infants in emergencies

Emergency preparedness plans cannot simply be imported from the West

Preparing for a flood: Emergency supplies you will need  Baby food and/or prepared formula, diapers, and other baby supplies

Source: The Star, Malaysia

“Nursing mothers may need liquid formula in case they are unable to nurse”

Action during emergencies can have long term repercussions

According to National Statistics Service, only one in three mothers in Armenia breastfeed, a percentage that UNICEF and international health organizations hope to increase, in a republic where artificial infant food gained a strong foothold that is a challenge to loosen… Breast feeding dropped drastically in Armenia in the immediate years after the 1988 earthquake, when humanitarian agencies began offering free formula. “Often, mothers who were able to feed their children with breast milk gave artificial food to their children without even understanding what they did,” the doctor says. Source: Armenia Now

Conclusion

Currently media reports are contributing to the problem of inappropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies

It is essential that the media be harnessed if the situation is to change

Actively engaging the media at every opportunity is required