Milk Drive 2017: One Step Towards Improvement of Maternal and Child Healthcare

Jean Rachel D. Ang, ​Φ2017, Class 2021

Milk matters, which is the flagship project of the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority, advocates for the improvement of maternal and child healthcare through public health lectures, research, and community-based barangay level milk banks. Milk matters has garnered the Service Project of the Year Award by the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges in 2015 and 2016 and was chosen as one of the 12th Ten Outstanding Youth Organizations (TAYO) in 2014.

​In continuing its fight for the rights to health of mothers and children, the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority held its annual milk drive at the Canossa Health and Social Center in Tondo, Manila last August 12, 2017.

What better way to start the day than donating milk for the precious little ones? This is how it was for the moms in Tondo who took time in their morning routine just to share their breastmilk to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The program, which was hosted by Marione Rodriguez Φ2017 and Pamela Torga Φ2017, started with a Tama o Mali game where questions about breastfeeding were asked to the mothers. And to have a deeper grasp on breastfeeding, a public health lecture, that covered topics such as its benefits, correct way of breastfeeding, correct infant latch-on position, and different breastfeeding positions, was conducted. A few moms also demonstrated the different breastfeeding positions and another Tama o Mali game ended the short program. The main event of the day, which is the milk drive, started thereafter with the help of the nurses from PGH NICU.
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At the end of the day, having imparted such knowledge and awareness to all the mothers in Tondo pushes us one step towards our advocacy which is to improve maternal and child healthcare. We are grateful to everyone who made and who are making all these possible.