At the Conference:

Day 2 Plenary 7

From Emergency to Everyday: Embedding IYCF-E Into Disaster

Preparedness Plans

Day 2 Panel 4

How can ultra-processed foods and food insecurity become a

threat to infant and young child feeding?

Occupation:

• Executive Director, Arugaan
• SEABC Steering Committee Member

Bio:

Ma. Ines Fernandez is one of the pioneering Founders of the Breastfeeding Movement of the Philippines since1981. She has also co-founded Arugaan - a support system for women with infants and young children in 1989. Three pronged programs were developed and pursued: The Art of Breastfeeding Counselling, ALM - Arugaan Lactation Massage in Relactation and Induced Lactation Management and Eat Right Naturally in MIYCF as integrated into the Arugaan Creche Day Care for Breastfeeding Babies under ECCD. Millions of Moms were empowered in breastfeeding by the Trained Arugaan BESTeam -Breastfeeding Expert Support Team and Arugaan Trainees.

Ines has designed a special 53 strokes and techniques in ALM -Arugaan Lactation Massage as an intervention by bringing back bottle feeding moms-babies to breastfeeding success. Ines has transformed many women of different ages to lactate whether with breastfeeding experience or no experience at all including single women and Grandmas. in just an hour of ALM as a powerful tool. She has undertaken Mass Relactation in Emergency at the evacuation centers. Recently she gave a hands-on guide demonstration through webinar to Lebanese women at the evacuation shelters amidst horrible war. She shared her expertise and experiences in many Southeast Asian countries as they prepare Breastfeeding readiness in times of calamity and crisis. She has authored articles and publications.

She facilitated Breastfeeding protection laws namely The Milk Code in 1986, Rooming-in Act in 1992, Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act in 2009 at the workplace. From the 1990s till 2017 she led the IBFAN Southeast Asia leadership covering 11 countries. Ines transformed the Arugaan mother support groups as Nurturers, Healers, Leaders.