– It’s violent. I would have liked to have given the thousands who have helped us a big hug! It’s overwhelming. This is what the chairman of the board of Breastfeeding Aid, Izabella Katharina Abouradoine Sætherø, says. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Izabella Katharina Abouradoine Sætherø says she is very grateful for all the money that has come in to the Breastfeeding Aid. At the same time, she believes that it is not sustainable to have to ask for money from most people every year. – Therefore, the state support must go up, she says. Photo: private After many years of financial challenges, she and the rest of the board had to ask for money from most people. In less than a day, the organization has received more than NOK 2.7 million. Most have come via a Spleis. Around 400,000 have also joined Vipps. Volunteers and 0.9 positions Breastfeeding help consists of around 200 volunteer women across the country. In addition, the organization has just under one man-year with paid employees. One of them is general manager Anne Sigstad from Biri i Innlandet. She will retire next year. Then she has been the general manager for 10 years. She reacts strongly to the help that has now flowed in. – It is absolutely overwhelming, touching and fantastic. We have tried to pretend we are big and professional. But when it comes down to it, we are not, says Sigstad. Anne Sigstad has a long career in Breastfeeding Aid. She was elected chairman of the board in 1999, and has held the position of general manager since 2013. In 2023, she is scheduled to retire. Now the board hopes that they can offer better conditions to the person who will take over after her. Photo: Private In addition to Sigstad, Ammehjelpen has employed financial worker Astrid Tofteland in a 20 percent position, and a web editor who is paid on an hourly basis. Has been running a deficit for a long time Breastfeeding has been running a deficit for a long time, and this spring it got extra bad. The reasons are complex, according to the chairman of the board. Among other things, sales from their online store plummeted. In the shop they have sold breastfeeding clothes and other breastfeeding accessories. It was created to have an extra leg to stand on for what they actually do: Breastfeeding help. The store has made it possible to run Ammehjelpen in recent years, according to board chairman Abouradoine Sætherø. GRATEFUL: Very many have shown their support for Breastfeeding Aid via the organization’s Facebook page. «Will believe ammehjelpen.no is the most used website with me. You are really good !, «reads one of the comments. Photo: screenshot The breastfeeding help also receives state support. They receive NOK 1.5 million annually from the state budget. This was last increased by 300,000 in 2019. – This is too little. We do not even have the opportunity to pay employees properly. Many work for free beyond the hours we can afford to pay them. We believe we should have double the state support, says the chairman of the board. According to the websites of Ammehjelpen, the general manager has been paid approx. 300,000 kroner a year. Have you used the Breastfeeding Aid? Need money for operation, salary and professional updating Although the actual help is provided by volunteers, it costs to run the organization. Abouradoine Sætherø explains that, among other things, they need money to run websites. They must also pay the employees, and keep all information on websites and on social media professionally up to date. In addition, there are courses and seminars for expectant parents and health professionals. There are emails that need to be answered and comment fields that need to be moderated. In addition, there are expenses for technical maintenance of their services. – Had we not received help now, we would have had to close or reduce operations, the chairman of the board explains. WEBSITE: The front page of the Breastfeeding Helpline lists what they can help with. They had almost 800,000 users on the website in 2021. In the same year, around 56,000 children were born in this country. Photo: screenshot Initially, they envisioned getting around NOK 400,000 on the splice that was created on Friday. But after only 10 minutes, 57,000 had arrived. They have now increased the target to NOK 3 million, as this is the sum they are asking for from the state budget. – This gives us the room for maneuver to prepare a sustainable plan for further securing of organizational operations. It will also give us the opportunity to offer a new general manager a living wage, says Abouradoine Sætherø. The Ministry: – Will strive to help breastfeeding women State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt in the Ministry of Health and Care Services says the government wants a strong public health service that is controlled by the community and financed through the tax bill. – It is crucial in the fight against increased social and geographical differences and against a division of the health service, Krat Bjørkholt explains in an e-mail. STATE SECRETARY: Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt in the Ministry of Health says that they will strive to give breastfeeding women good help. Whether there will be more money from the state will not be clear until October. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news Krat Bjørkholt writes that there will always be limited resources, and that the wishes will exceed the possibilities. He still meets the breastfeeding women: – We will have a basic good public health service. We will strive to give breastfeeding women the help they need from the public sector. At the same time, he believes that there are good traditions in Norway for voluntary organizations and individuals to contribute significantly to the top of the public investment. – I think that is positive and an expression that people care. The Ministry further states that they must return to appropriations in the state budget when this is presented in October.
ttn-69
The breastfeeding aid was in danger of being closed down. Now they have received millions on Spleis – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
