Humanitarian aid and breastfeeding practices of displaced mothers: a qualitative study in disaster relief camps

During disasters and displacement, affected families often receive humanitarian aid from governmental and nongovernmental organizations and donor agencies. Little information is available on the effects of humanitarian aid on the breastfeeding practices of mothers affected by disaster and displacement.

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of humanitarian aid on the breastfeeding practices of displaced mothers affected by natural disasters in Chitral, Pakistan.

This was qualitative study of residents of four villages of Chitral who had experienced a recent flood and later an earthquake. Data were collected through field observations, analysis of various documents (e.g. aid-agency documents, published reports and newspaper articles) and in-depth interviews with 18 internally displaced mothers living in disaster relief camps in Chitral.

Three main themes developed from the data: humanitarian aid as a life saver, insufficient humanitarian aid affecting breastfeeding, and systemic injustices in the distribution of humanitarian aid.

Although humanitarian aid facilitated the survival, health and well-being of the displaced mothers and their family members, there were various problems with the humanitarian aid that increased the vulnerability of the displaced mothers and negatively affected their breastfeeding practices. Humanitarian aid must be gender-sensitive, thoughtful, timely, needs-based, equitable and context-specific. A systematic process of aid allocation and restricted donation of formula milk or any other form of breast-milk substitute is recommended during disasters.