One of Fundasaun Alola’s areas of focus in the Maternal and Child Health Program is on promoting exclusive breastfeeding to help reduce infant mortality. Fundasaun Alola has rolled out programs nationally to encourage immediate and ongoing exclusive breastfeeding in hospitals in Timor-Leste as well as in communities.
This is done through:
- The training of health care workers in infant and young child feeding and through the establishment of Maternal and Child Health community-based groups, such as Mothers Support Groups and Suku HadomiInan no Oan (Village loves mothers and children) groups. These groups disseminate information to encourage and support mothers to initiate breastfeeding immediately after delivery, to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months of life and to continue breastfeeding for at least two years along with the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding.
- Fundasaun Alola assigns Hospital Liaison Officers at the Dili National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV) and three referral regional hospitals in Baucau, Maubisse and RAEOA Oe-cusse. The Liaison Officers play important roles in initiating early breastfeeding and assisting women who have problems with breastfeeding. In addition, the team also had undertaken early intervention for premature and underweight babies, through educating mothers to maintain cup feeding suing breastmilk and support mothers on Kangaroo mother care method (skin to skin contact).
- Establishment of the Breastfeeding Café at Dili National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV).
Testament to the success of Alola’s Maternal and Child Health Program is the fact that rates of exclusive breastfeeding in Timor-Leste have continued to rise since 2009/10 from 49 percent to over 62 percent in 2017.
Would you like to support the Maternal Child Health Program?
Please consider holding a morning tea in the month of September!
Bring together friends, family or colleagues for an in-person or virtual MILK morning tea.
How to deposit funds raised:
- Collect funds on behalf of your group and donate directly to Alola Australia. In this instance, you as the host will receive a tax deductible receipt for the total donation.
- Encourage guests to make their own direct donation to Alola Australia via our website. They will receive a tax deductible receipt from Alola Australia.
If you can’t hold a morning tea, please consider a donation to support the important MCH team initiatives.
You can also purchase a Maternity Gift Certificate for $25.
Video of Alola’s breastfeeding cafe
