We met Medela at the Kids Business Bloggers Brunch and were blown away by, not only their fantastic products for new mums, but also their work with charities and overseas projects.
As you know, we are very involved in humanitarian ventures and like to do our bit on this website via our Random Acts of Kid-ness. We wanted to share the work they are involved in – you never know there may be a cause that they support that you might feel called to support as well! (We have a little competition at the end of this post that might help you do this!)
Medela have been reaching out to the community, connecting with organisations that fit with their passion of helping others and have a purpose that fits with our values. Medela sponsor Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, which was founded by Shusannah Morris, who are dedicated to supporting families of sick and premature babies.
If you follow our Facebook and Instagram feeds, you will know that we have a nephew and twin nieces who were born prematurely. Our nephew was born at 30 weeks and his mum said that 12 years ago there was nothing like Life’s Little Treasures to help them navigate the scary world of NICU. They really do make a difference to the families of the seventy six babies born too soon each day in Australia #76borntoosoon.
Medela has been teaming up with The Nappy Collective for the past two years. The Nappy Collective is an organisation that collects disposable unused nappies at drop off points around Australia. These nappies are then donated to womens refuges and to centres for families in crisis to assist mum’s to provide nappies for their kids. They run two collections a year and Medela has enjoyed being able to provide support to this organisation through a Medela drop off Point and using social media to promote and raise awareness for this great cause.
So, don’t throw your nappies out when your baby outgrows them – donate them!
Medela have also been involved in many donations to great causes this year with donations to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for disposable bra pads that were in high demand, arrangements to donate product samples to the Dandelion Support Network to help families in crisis and donations to Dads Group Incorporated who provide support and networking for new dads.
Medela feel very proud of their involvement in the Bangladesh Project, and rightly so.
Scope Global and The International Centre for Diarrheal Research, Bangledesh, in response to the increasing numbers of infant mortalities and morbidities in Bangledesh, have launched an intuitive to enable mothers to give breast milk for longer. This high morbidity and mortality rate is due, in large, to poor sanitation.
With thanks to Medela, Australian volunteer – Alysha Harkins, is providing education and support for mothers, families and the employers to establish and facilitate ongoing expression of breast milk in the work environment.
Alysha was provided with intensive education on breastfeeding, breast milk expression and technical training on hand expression, using the breast pumps and cup feeding prior to her departure and will continue to provide ongoing support during the 12 month project.
Medela Australia donated 20 Lactina pumps and 200 Lactaset hand pump kits.
Alysha is working with Bangladeshi mothers from a garment factory industry who often, due to the limited maternity leave, have to return to work once their baby is 2 months old. The mothers range from 15 – 35 years of age and they will typically have to work a 10-14 hour day, 5-6 days per week, which has proved extremely difficult to continue breastfeeding in the past. Can you imagine?
Along with high temperatures and humidity, there is poor electricity supply to homes and workplaces and a severe lack of refrigeration. The University of Toronto have donated a pasteurisation device to enable the expressed breast milk to be pasteurised and to be stored for longer periods in the Bangladesh climate.
We can’t wait to follow Alysha’s journey – I just know she is making a difference to the lives of many children and their families.
How can you get involved? Medela have given us a $50 voucher for The Pharmacy to give away to one of our readers! If you win you could buy something special for yourself or maybe you could make a purchase and donate it to someone in need this Christmas?
EDITED: CONGRATULATIONS TO JODIE P. – WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR PRIZE!
To enter, email info@kiddingaroundaustralia.com with THE PHARMACY in the subject line and tell us what you would buy with a $50 voucher by 5pm on December 13, 2015. Sorry, only Australian residents only. A winner will be drawn and announced shortly after the competition closes. Good Luck!
I hope you enjoyed learning about these different organisations as much as we did – it is great to know that businesses such as Medela are helping these wonderful organisations make a difference.
Kidding Around Australia 