Our National and International Activities
To promote breastfeeding and other optimal young child feeding practices, Breastfeeding Philippines, a program of Nurturers of the Earth, utilizes national and international coordinated events of tremendous impact that serve as major vehicles for its core messages. The events also educate the public en masse on the importance of breastfeeding and the social support needed to sustain it. The program conceptualized and supervised the establishment of many FIRSTS in the country to promote, support and protect breastfeeding by forging partnerships with various government and private entities. Many of these projects are now being replicated nationwide. Our major projects are:
1. Website - www.breastfeedingphilippines.com - Number 1 in Google Search (since 2006)
2. Free online classes on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) (since 2007)
3. Free hotline with 24/7 service (since 2004)
4. Breastfeeding Clinic at Makati Medical Center that served indigent patients (2002 - 2004)
5. Breastfeeding Stations in all SM Supermalls serving hundreds of thousands of mother-child pairs nationwide (since 2006) read more
6. Guinness World Record for Simultaneous Breastfeeding in a Single Site with the City of Manila, UNICEF and the DOH breaking the USA record with 3,541 mother-child pairs in 2006 (National Record though was 5,000+ mother-child pairs) read more
7. First Guinness World Record for Simultaneous Breastfeeding in Multiple Sites nationwide with DSWD and TESDA where there were 15,128 mother-child pairs in 295 sites in 2007 (National Record though was 22,500 mother-child pairs in 590 sites). The Simultaneous Breastfeeding Multiple Sites event was repeated every year since 2007 without applying for the Guinness World Record. We recorded instead the National Count. The largest gathering nationwide was with UNTV with a National Record of 35,749 mother-child pairs in 1,000 sites in 2013. read more
8. Synchronized Breastfeeding Worldwide in partnership with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) with the participation of 16 countries (2007, 2008 and 2009) read more
9. Breastfeeding Olympics in Beijing, China during the World Olympics (2008)
10. Continuing Medical Education (CME) on Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) for medical practitioners, highlighted in the 100th (2007), 101st (2008) and 102nd (2009) Anniversary of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), integration of optimal IYCF practices in school curricula in partnership with the Department of Education (2009), DOST (2010), CHED (2007) and the establishment of the Philippine Lactation Resource and Training Center with TESDA (2006 - 2012)
11. Presidential Proclamation of the nationwide celebration of World Breastfeeding Week and its annual celebration in Malacañan Palace with the President in attendance (2005 - 2010) read more
12. Photo Exhibits of Breastfeeding Mothers first displayed in the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace and then was toured in many places including the Congress, Senate, many branches of SM Malls, Philhealth, several hospitals and LGUs (2006 - 2010)
We also initiated the Seven Acts of Kindness read more
For our Calendar of Events, click here
To create this broad social support for breastfeeding families, our projects mobilized sectors that are not traditionally expected to support breastfeeding: children and youth, the elderly, civil service workers, educators and school administrators, school-based health workers, social welfare workers, church workers, disaster response workers, scientists, artists, and business establishments, etc.
Certain Filipino health and nurturing practices that sustained it in the past should be revived alongside the promotion of issues that breastfeeding addresses: food security, medicine, economy, ecology, empowerment, love and faith.
Worldwide trends in breastfeeding promotion also emphasize not only the advantages of breastfeeding but more so the risks of bottle-feeding and the hazards of formula milk.
Our Goals and Our Key Messages
To promote breastfeeding and other optimal young child feeding practices, Breastfeeding Philippines, a program of Nurturers of the Earth, utilizes national and international coordinated events of tremendous impact that serve as major vehicles for its core messages. The events also educate the public en masse on the importance of breastfeeding and the social support needed to sustain it. The program conceptualized and supervised the establishment of many FIRSTS in the country to promote, support and protect breastfeeding by forging partnerships with various government and private entities. Many of these projects are now being replicated nationwide. Our major projects are:
1. Website - www.breastfeedingphilippines.com - Number 1 in Google Search (since 2006)
2. Free online classes on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) (since 2007)
3. Free hotline with 24/7 service (since 2004)
4. Breastfeeding Clinic at Makati Medical Center that served indigent patients (2002 - 2004)
5. Breastfeeding Stations in all SM Supermalls serving hundreds of thousands of mother-child pairs nationwide (since 2006) read more
6. Guinness World Record for Simultaneous Breastfeeding in a Single Site with the City of Manila, UNICEF and the DOH breaking the USA record with 3,541 mother-child pairs in 2006 (National Record though was 5,000+ mother-child pairs) read more
7. First Guinness World Record for Simultaneous Breastfeeding in Multiple Sites nationwide with DSWD and TESDA where there were 15,128 mother-child pairs in 295 sites in 2007 (National Record though was 22,500 mother-child pairs in 590 sites). The Simultaneous Breastfeeding Multiple Sites event was repeated every year since 2007 without applying for the Guinness World Record. We recorded instead the National Count. The largest gathering nationwide was with UNTV with a National Record of 35,749 mother-child pairs in 1,000 sites in 2013. read more
8. Synchronized Breastfeeding Worldwide in partnership with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) with the participation of 16 countries (2007, 2008 and 2009) read more
9. Breastfeeding Olympics in Beijing, China during the World Olympics (2008)
10. Continuing Medical Education (CME) on Breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) for medical practitioners, highlighted in the 100th (2007), 101st (2008) and 102nd (2009) Anniversary of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), integration of optimal IYCF practices in school curricula in partnership with the Department of Education (2009), DOST (2010), CHED (2007) and the establishment of the Philippine Lactation Resource and Training Center with TESDA (2006 - 2012)
11. Presidential Proclamation of the nationwide celebration of World Breastfeeding Week and its annual celebration in Malacañan Palace with the President in attendance (2005 - 2010) read more
12. Photo Exhibits of Breastfeeding Mothers first displayed in the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace and then was toured in many places including the Congress, Senate, many branches of SM Malls, Philhealth, several hospitals and LGUs (2006 - 2010)
We also initiated the Seven Acts of Kindness read more
For our Calendar of Events, click here
To create this broad social support for breastfeeding families, our projects mobilized sectors that are not traditionally expected to support breastfeeding: children and youth, the elderly, civil service workers, educators and school administrators, school-based health workers, social welfare workers, church workers, disaster response workers, scientists, artists, and business establishments, etc.
Certain Filipino health and nurturing practices that sustained it in the past should be revived alongside the promotion of issues that breastfeeding addresses: food security, medicine, economy, ecology, empowerment, love and faith.
Worldwide trends in breastfeeding promotion also emphasize not only the advantages of breastfeeding but more so the risks of bottle-feeding and the hazards of formula milk.
Our Goals and Our Key Messages
- To emphasize the importance of immediate initiation of, and exclusive breastfeeding until six months to be able to reach the optimal young child feeding goal of continued breastfeeding beyond two years.
- To promote indigenous foods for complementary feeding that are sustainable, accessible and affordable.
- To revive indigenous nurturing practices that sustained breastfeeding in the past.
- To inform mothers, employers and the general public that it is possible and advantageous to combine breastfeeding and work.
- To inform stay-at-home mothers that if it is possible for mothers who are working outside the home to breastfeed, then it is more possible for them to breastfeed.
- To inform mothers of the important steps that should be taken to be able to sustain breastfeeding even while the mother works outside the house.
- To build a strong social support for mothers to be able to continue breastfeeding: the family, community and at the workplace.
- To raise the awareness of the public on the issues that breastfeeding addresses: food security, medicine, economy, ecology, empowerment, love and faith.
- To promote not only the advantages of breastfeeding but more so the risks of formula milk feeding.