For the media

The refugee crisis related to the war in Ukraine will particularly affect pregnant women and mothers of small children, and thus posed new challenges to the Polish system of perinatal and lactation care. As part of the project implemented by the Bank Mleka Kobiecego Foundation on behalf of UNICEF in 11 hospitals all over Poland, mothers in perinatal and lactation crisis can count on the support of a lactation consultant, psychologist, neurologist and physiotherapist.

During humanitarian crises caused by war or disasters, milk is “to be or not to be” for newborns and small children. In response to the dramatic situation of pregnant women and mothers of small children who came to Poland as a result of the military operations in Ukraine, the Human Bank Milk Foundation together with its Partners is launching a project entitled Support and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate practices in the field of feeding infants and young children of Ukrainian and Polish mothers in a crisis situation in Poland. The aim of the project is to increase the level of care for a woman in a perinatal crisis and to expand the scope of hospital services with multi-specialist counselling. Thanks to such support, it is possible to mitigate the effects of trauma and malnutrition in children in a situation of refugee, economic and psychological crisis. So far, over 3500 advice has been provided, half of which are lactation advice.

Currently, the project is being implemented in 11 hospitals,

• Szpital Uniwersytecki im. Karola Marcinkowskiego w Zielonej Górze Sp. z o.o.
•  Centrum Medyczne Ujastek Sp. z o.o w Krakowie
•  Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne w Gdańsku
•  Szpital Specjalistyczny im. A. Falkiewicza we Wrocławiu
•  Kliniczny Szpital Wojewódzki nr 1 im. F. Chopina w Rzeszowie
•  Samodzielny Publiczny Szpital Kliniczny nr 1 w Lublinie
•  Szpital Specjalistyczny Pro-Familia w Rzeszowie.
•  Instytut Centrum Zdrowia Matki Polki w Łodzi
•  Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony im. L. Rydygiera w Toruniu
•  Szpital Specjalistyczny im. A. Falkiewicza we Wrocławiu
•  Państwowy Instytut Medyczny MSWiA w Warszawie 

The project is implemented by the Bank Mleka Kobiecego Foundation in partnership with the Medical University of Warsaw, the FHI 360 organization and the Ministry of Health thanks to UNICEF funds allocated to respond to the refugee crisis in Poland.

We are starting a series of free webinars – 1 webinar on February 9, 2023 at 17:30!

We invite everyone willing to a series of free webinars entitled “Supporting mothers in the proper nutrition of children in crisis”. Among the speakers, outstanding Polish specialists and foreign experts in the field of nutrition and As part of the project implemented by the Bank Mleka Kobiecego Foundation together with partners: the Medical University of Warsaw, FHI 360 and Medius sp. expanding the knowledge of medical staff on the principles of proper nutrition for children whose mothers experience difficulties in the perinatal period.

Among the speakers there are outstanding Polish specialists, e.g. doctors, nutritionists, lactation consultants, psychologists and lawyers as well as foreign experts in the field of nutrition and crisis management who accepted the invitation of dr hab. Aleksandra Wesołowska from the University Laboratory of Milk and Lactation Research of the Medical University of Warsaw and Dr. Alessandro Iellamo from FHI360. Dr. Wesołowska and Mrs. Iellamo will also conduct the first webinar entitled “Feeding infants in crisis situations: global recommendations and comments on their adaptation in developed countries”, which will take place on February 9, 2023 at 17:30.

A series of webinars is organized as part of the project: Support and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate practices in the field of feeding infants and small children of Ukrainian and Polish mothers in a crisis situation in Poland. The project is implemented by the Bank of Women’s Milk Foundation on behalf of the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Health.

Registration on the website: https://zywaniedzieciwkryzysie.medius.com.pl/