The role of trained peer counselors in these groups is essential. Their activities range from personal counseling, including home visits, to forming new support groups. "They are women who belong to the community," explains Veliz. "They are leaders by nature, and they know the mothers’ needs."

Veliz was a support group participant for three years before receiving training to become a peer counselor. Last year, she was elected La Leche League coordinator for all of El Limón. Being a peer counselor allows her to do what she finds most fulfilling: helping other mothers in need.

"When I began, as I talked with the mothers, I recalled when I had my first baby and I was just starting. Mothers need help because the influence of others can sometimes be negative," she says.

The peer counselors face their own challenges. One of these is getting young mothers to communicate openly, to discuss their problems and to learn from each other. "Sometimes it’s hard for women to feel comfortable talking about their experiences and their beliefs with people they’ve only just met," says Mimi de Maza, a member of La Leche League International’s board of directors and a promoter of the support group program.

To help, La Leche League Guatemala has developed special cloth posters, called mantas, that provide illustrations of breastfeeding concepts and techniques. The point, however, is less to provide "how-to" instructions than to encourage more open exchange. Says Maza: "The images help women talk about the choices they have made and give them an easier way to connect with other mothers."

María del Mar Mazza is a nutritionist and a program administrator in La Leche League International’s Peer Counselor Program.

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