Please join us to learn about new resources to support families with infants and young children in disasters.

For the last 2.5 years the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) has been working to develop an evidence base and develop resources to support families with infants and young children in disasters. This initiative was funded by the Australian government in recognition of the vulnerability of young children and the lack of support for their families in Australian disasters.

Drawing from the experiences of families during the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, the ABA Bushfire Project uncovered serious gaps in emergency assistance. Many families were unprepared, delaying evacuations and leaving behind essential supplies. Without tailored resources, parents struggled to plan while juggling their children’s constant care needs. Evacuation centres often lacked safe sleeping arrangements and essentials for young children, placing mothers—especially those who were pregnant or breastfeeding—in overwhelming situations. In recovery, there was almost no support for the youngest children and their mothers. Both breastfeeding mothers and those caring for formula fed infants were under supported.

In response, the ABA Bushfire Project has worked with emergency and health organisations to create tools and resources designed to ensure that families and emergency responders are better prepared for future disasters. Resources include evacuation kit lists, fact sheets, posters, animations, guidance documents, signage, and social media tools that are applicable for emergency preparedness, response and recovery.

And now we want to spread the word!

Please, join us for the online launch of our emergency resource  collection on Thursday, 14th November at 7 pm.  These resources have been developed for the Australian context but many will have relevance in other locations, particularly high income countries.

You can register at: https://breastfeeding-asn-au.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WPPv8r31Sv2KR6VKReUvhg#/registration