By Fransiska E. Mardiananingsih | Child Survival Healthy Start Project Manager
“When I had my first baby, I wanted so much to breastfeed him, but nobody supported my will because I had ill-lung. The doctor and my relatives insisted that I should bottle-feed my baby. So, I bottle-fed my first baby since the day he was born and he fell ill very frequently. He died due to severe diarrheic,” said 28-year old Lena as she burst into tears when she shared her story in a Mother Support Group (MSG) meeting in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
The MSG started by Mercy Corps was created to provide a safe, trusted and friendly environment for young mothers like Lena to share their personal experiences, fears, doubts, tips and information regarding childcare, with emphasize on breastfeeding. Facilitated by trained Motivators, MSG pregnant and nursing women attendants learn best-practices from experiences shared among them like the one Lena did.
Lena continues, “Learning from my experience with my first son, I insisted to breastfeed my second baby despite of my family’s disapproval. I’m happy to see that my daughter grows healthy and active. I want to help my friends in this group to successfully breastfeed their babies like I do.”
Participation in MSGs has motivated many young women in Tugu Utara Sub-District to practice optimum breastfeeding. Moreover, many of these mothers has expressed interest to become Motivators as they want more mothers in their neighbourhoods get the chance to learn what they have learned in the MSG.
Because of your support, more women like Lena can learn the value of breastfeeding and motivate others to be empowered. Thank you!
If you want to have even more impact, donate, June 13, starting at 12:01 am EST, GlobalGiving is sponsoring a special “Bonus Day,” where every donation you make to Mercy Corps' Breast Feeding Saves Lives project will be matched by a certain percent—greatly increasing the impact of your generous donations!
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