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Congratulations 2008 Scholarship Winners!
An unprecedented number of candidates applied to Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) for financial assistance to take the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) exam on July 28, 2008 or to re-certify by CERPs. MILCC is pleased to announce that 61 individuals from 10 countries received awards. Scholarship decisions were made based on the criterion of serving a disadvantaged population that has limited access to the services of a lactation consultant. All candidates were fully qualified to sit the exam or re-certify.
Many candidates will be sitting the exam for the first time, and others are re-certifying. In this manner, MILCC is fulfilling the organizational goals of increasing the number of IBCLCs around the world, enhancing the profession through re-certification of IBCLCs and increasing the diversity of the profession.
Scholarship recipients are from the following nations: Bosnia-Herzegovina (1), Canada (2), Egypt (24), Hungary (1), Oman (1), Rwanda (11), Unites Arab Emirates (12), and the United States of America (9).
Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation supports IBCLC Candidates
Two Canadian citizens were awarded the newly established Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation Scholarships. These awards were created to promote the development of the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) profession in under-served areas of Canada.
Linda Crawford of Edmonton is an active (six years) La Leche League Leader who not only leads breastfeeding support group meetings in rural and urban settings, but is involved with telephone help lines, is a public speaker/trainer, and an organizer of breastfeeding conferences. She will be sitting the exam for the first time, and if successful, will begin working to develop the IBCLC credential in Western and Northern Canada while continuing her LLL volunteer service.
The second scholarship winner is Kimberly Dart from Toronto who is re-certifying by exam. She is a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner who works with many disadvantaged and immigrant families in hospital and out-patient clinic. Additionally, she maintains a small private lactation practice and is a volunteer for a womens shelter. She plans to continue her hospital/clinic support work and community follow-up services following the exam.
The IBCLC profession can only flourish when dedicated individuals like Ms. Crawford and Ms. Dart are in our ranks. MILCC is grateful to the Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation for this significant contribution to its scholarship program.
JoAnne W. Scott Scholarship Winners Chosen
The MILCC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that two outstanding women have been selected to receive the JoAnne W. Scott Scholarship this year. We believe that these candidates are deserving and will honor the memory and legacy of JoAnne Scott.
Ana Cristina Noguera Leite Pincho was a La Leche League Leader for 5 years serving in Portugal. She is a widowed mother of 5 children. She is known for her skills in working with women in the true mother-to-mother sense and continues to provide volunteer breastfeeding information and support. She has excellent academic credentials, is bilingual, and is well prepared in the breastfeeding counseling field. Ms Pincho was highly recommended for this award. Hopefully, she will become the second IBCLC in Portugal and a great addition to the profession.
Marνa del Carmen Sortino, from Argentina, is a pediatrician who has worked for years with the impoverished women in the city of Nuequen. In addition to maintaining a clinic practice in her community, she serves on various governmental and professional breastfeeding committees. She successfully lobbied the Argentinean government to guarantee a 7 month maternity leave. She has authored several lactation articles, and has a special interest in re-lactation and anemia while breastfeeding. She finds time to be the guiding leader for a mother support group and a special group for young women. The women meet to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding and for support. She is a vigorous defender of women and babies right to breastfeed.
What is MILCC?
HISTORY: The International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) profession came into existence in 1985. Within two years it was apparent that the certifying exam fees caused financial obstacles for some candidates. In 1987, the Association for Lactation Consultant Certification (ALCC) was formed and awarded 2 scholarships to worthy candidates. As the lactation consultant profession grew in stature, the numbers of qualified candidates seeking certification and needing financial support increased. In response to the need, more scholarships were awarded. To better reflect its objectives, the organization changed its name in 1997 to Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Ceryification (MILCC).
MILCC raises money, carefully invests funds, reviews scholarship requests and awards scholarships to worthy candidates. Criteria for selection is "financial need". Priority is given to candidates who serve a population lacking access to the specialized services of an IBCLC. Scholarship awards reached an all time high in 2007, with 120 candidates receiving support totaling over $29,000.
The requests for monetary support will increase as recognition of the importance of breastfeeding increases and the need for IBCLC services is realized.
IMPACT: Increasing the number of credentialed lactation consultants insures the highest level of breastfeeding care and education for families and communities around the world. As more babies breastfeed, food scarcity decreases, infant and maternal survival rates increase, and family health improves. On a community level, more health care resources are preserved as infant illness is decreased. Breastfeeding is ecological! Globally, trash is decreased and energy is saved rather than spent on formula manufacture and preparation. The new credential IBCLC has also added another valuable profession to the health care field. Over 17,000 individuals have been certified and contribute to global health.
Nurturing the Next Generation - Who Benefits?
- Practitioners with financial need
- New
mothers and infants
- Families and communities worldwide
- Hospitals
seeking to improve maternal and infant care
- The lactation consultant profession
How is MILCC Funded?
MILCC
is funded exclusively from private contributions
including donations for IBCLC and MILCC pins. Your contribution is greatly needed and can really make a difference. Please donate to MILCC.
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