Heather in Neverland Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Our school does a lot of outreach in the community especially in the very poor neighborhoods. One of the sad things we've discovered is the huge increase in diabetes in young children. The doctors tell us this is because the mothers are too malnourished to breastfeed and can't afford milk so they give the babies sugar-water. :( So at our open house last Friday we raised about $1000 USD (which is about RM3500) and we collected about 30 bags of powdered milk for this community. But that is only a band-aid fix. Poverty is so sad and overwhelming sometimes. It's like you just don't know where to start, ya know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 That is so tragic Heather. I really thought too much sugar causing diabetes was just something mom said to make us not eat all of our halloween candy in one night :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I know that in the face of such poverty, it seems just a drop in the bucket, but that's great that you were able to participate in such a wonderful charitable act. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Which kind of diabetes is it? Type 1 or 2? Both are on the rise, but have very different factors. I'm amazed that most of the infants can survive on sugar water and nothing else. Instead of just buying powdered milk for the infants, you all should work on helping to feed the mothers, so they can nurse. Their breastmilk is far better, even if they are malnourished, than powdered milk. Early dairy intake has been tied to Type-1 diabetes, and Type 2 later in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Which kind of diabetes is it? Type 1 or 2? Both are on the rise, but have very different factors. I'm amazed that most of the infants can survive on sugar water and nothing else. Instead of just buying powdered milk for the infants, you all should work on helping to feed the mothers, so they can nurse. Their breastmilk is far better, even if they are malnourished, than powdered milk. Early dairy intake has been tied to Type-1 diabetes, and Type 2 later in life. If you can get protein and veggies for the moms, in the long run the families will be better off. But the milk is a great stop gap for the babies! Good for you! I have never heard of a link between early dairy intake and diabetes but I do know that cow's milk is not nutritionally balanced for human babies--the proportions of fat, protein, etc. are quite different from what babies need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 The problem has so many angles... One angle is the preschool children already being diagnosed because they were fed sugar-water as a baby and still drink it (that and white rice) Another issue is the continued use of sugar-water with new infants Another issue is the malnourished moms (who were also raised on sugar-water) Another issue is the breastfeeding is rare in Malaysia (stats I read said less than 15% of mothers breastfeed their babies). I don't want to guess why they don't breastfeed since I don't really know. Lack of education? A cultural issue of some sort? So we need to help the kids who have diabetes, help the new babies get something besides sugar-water, help them moms eat healthy and educate moms on breastfeeding...sigh...and this is just ONE neighborhood. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Atl Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 The problem has so many angles... Another issue is the breastfeeding is rare in Malaysia (stats I read said less than 15% of mothers breastfeed their babies). I don't want to guess why they don't breastfeed since I don't really know. Lack of education? A cultural issue of some sort? There is your real issue... I doubt most of these moms are so poor in health that they can't produce any milk. They just don't try or don't know to. I've seen moms in famine areas, that have still been able to produce even a small amount of milk. Another issue is the water. How clean is it? You still must mix the powdered formula or milk with the water, which can cause dysentery/parasites. No easy fix for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Praying for you. Each bit of teaching and feeding is a help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Do you know anyone there breastfeeding or who has? Another expat perhaps? Maybe a breastfeeding class could go a long way for a few mothers. They may believe that 'rich' people don't breastfeed or have been told that sugar water is better than breast milk etc. Western influence$ have stolen a lot from folks. Breastfeeding is one of them. It starts with one mother...who reaches another. Good for you for trying to help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomLovesClassics Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I know this sounds very dumb. What about writing a letter to the formula companies here in the US and asking them to donate formula? All they can say is no but it never hurts to ask. It would be nice to get some type of program going similar to wic or something. What about information on how they can grow a community garden. It may not be much but it would help them to not be so malnurished. I understand their food choices are much different than ours. Beans are a great source of protein and it is not difficult to grow an pick beans. Not sure about the price of rice there, but what about collecting donated rice? Money from the US would stretch further over there, it would be nice to get a big donation to set up some program so mothers could have adequate food and nutrition. This makes me sad. I hear of dr offices here getting lots and lots of formula, and they have to donate it to the food bank, because they are not allowed to give certain brands at certain times. Someone I know just donated a whole trunk full to the food bank. It could have been better used where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Regarding feeling like only a drop in the bucket against poverty, remember that while you may be able to affect only a small percentage of the overall problem, you may well have made a significant difference in the life of the person who will grow up to SOLVE the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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