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The next four countries are:

2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
4. India
5. Australia

I have been talking a lot about breastfeeding advocacy opportunities in the United States, so tonight I would like to share a breastfeeding advocacy opportunity for each of the other four countries listed. Please feel free to leave a comment if you are from any of those four countries and you have resources you would like to share!

Canada

“Join INFACT Canada and INFACT Quebec and sign on to the ‘Protect Breastfeeding Petition’ at http://protectbreastfeedingpetition.ca/. You can make a difference for mothers and children, sign the petition, share the petition and join us for a better world for all of us.”

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom you can read and sign the Breastfeeding Manifesto, an eight-page document that outlines seven objectives that support breastfeeding. The Manifesto notes:

The UK Governments and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, yet fewer than 2% of babies in the UK are exclusively breastfed at six months.

India

The Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India works to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in that country. You can endorse your views on an infant’s right to food by entering your name and email address.

Australia

The Australian Breastfeeding Association has a page dedicated to breastfeeding advocacy which includes a link to the incident report form for the marketing of infant formulas in Australia.

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Here’s a shout-out to Australian readers! The rest of us could learn from the Australians, who are taking a proactive approach to gaining support for breastfeeding in public. Rather than expressing outrage and staging nurse-ins (which do have their place) after an incident occurs, the Australian Breastfeeding Association is promoting the “Feel Free to Feed Campaign” in an effort to grow support for breastfeeding mothers at home, in public, and in the workplace.

The Campaign

The campaign aims to raise the public profile of breastfeeding, making it more acceptable and accessible to new mums and their babies. The focus is on three key awards that support breastfeeding away from home: the ABA’s Breastfeeding Welcome Here and Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation, and the international Baby Friendly Health Initiative….

~ Breastfeeding Welcome Here A free sticker kit for businesses and organisations to display their welcoming attitude to breastfeeding. The kits are awarded to businesses that have a welcoming attitude from staff and management, a smoke-free environment and room to move a pram. Breastfeeding Welcome Here businesses are featured on the Australian Breastfeeding Association website breastfeeding.asn.au. Phone 03 9885 0855 for further information on obtaining a kit.

~ Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation (BFWA) Employers can show they support a family-friendly work culture. With 44 percent of mothers returning to work within the first 12 months of their baby’s life, Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation recognises and promotes best practice in meeting the needs of breastfeeding mothers in paid work. Not only does this help mothers and babies, it makes good business sense. For more information, visit breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/mfwp.html.

~ Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) This international project aims to give every baby the best start in life, starting with a healthcare environment where breastfeeding is the norm and mothers and babies are supported. The BFHI Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding are the global standard by which health services are assessed and accredited. Go to bfhi.org.au to find out more.

The Contest

In conjunction with the Feel Free to Feed campaign, the sponsors are running a contest for residents of Australia and New Zealand. Mums are invited to write in with their experiences breastfeeding at work or in public. The best stories will be published in My Child magazine and writers will receive a prize package worth AUD $450, and one winning story will be named Breastfeeding Story of the Year during World Breastfeeding Week 2008 for a prize package worth AUD $3,640! The contest runs until August 1, 2008. The terms and conditions can be found here.

Share Your Story

Readers of Breastfeeding 1-2-3 are always invited to share their stories here on the blog. Email me with your experience breastfeeding at work or in public.

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