2. INTRODUCTION
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage
breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.
It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government
policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support
breastfeeding.
WORLD ALLIANCE FOR BREASTFEEDING ACTION (WABA) is a global
network of individuals and organisations dedicated to the protection, promotion and
support of breastfeeding worldwide.
Annually, WABA coordinates and organises the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) between
Aug 1-7. Since 2016, we have aligned our WBW campaign to United Nation’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). WBW-SDGS CAMPAIGN.
3. THEME
This year's World Breastfeeding Week slogan is “Empower Parents, Enable
Breastfeeding”.
The #WBW2019 slogan was chosen to be inclusive of all types of parents in today's
world. Focusing on supporting both parents to be empowered is vital in order to
realise their breastfeeding goals.
This year, WHO is working with UNICEF and partners to promote the importance
of family-friendly policies to enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and
bond with their children in early life, when it matters most.
4. Enacting paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, and paid
paternity leave to encourage shared responsibility of caring for their children
on an equal basis.
Mothers also need access to a parent friendly workplace to protect and
support their ability to continue breastfeeding upon return to work by having
access to breastfeeding breaks; a safe, private, and hygienic space for
expressing and storing breastmilk; and affordable childcare.
11. WBW INDIA
The Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women and Child Development,
is organizing a number of activities on the theme “Empower Parents, Enable
Breastfeeding” during the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) from 1st to 7th
August 2019.
The focus this year is on protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding.
Activities are being conducted in 30 States and Union Territories through 43
Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units of Food and Nutrition Board,
involving the State functionaries of Health Department, Home Science Colleges,
Medical Institutes, Universities, NGOs and other stakeholders.
12. OBJECTIVES
To create awareness among the parents about breastfeeding.
Encourage parents to adopt breastfeeding.
Creating awareness about the importance of initiation and exclusive
breastfeeding, and adequate and appropriate complementary feeding.
Providing advocacy material about the importance of breastfeeding.
13. ACTIVITIES
Symposiums for lactating mothers and anganwadi workers to create awareness about the
importance of breastfeeding.
Annaprashan ceremony of babies at anganwadi centres by collecting beneficiaries from
adjoining anganwadi centres, competition on nutritious recipes and quiz competitions.
Exhibitions, on nutrition, displaying low cost nutritious diets for infants and young children
will also be organized at grassroots level.
Awareness generation on healthy eating, maintenance of hygiene and sanitation and its
importance will be held for pregnant and lactating mothers.
Awareness programmes at the village level through puppet shows, skits, dance and drama,
films, slide shows, AV Spots and rallies.
14. BREASTFEEDING IS IMPORTANT
It promotes better health for mothers and children alike.
It prevents infections like diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections in early
infancy and thus reduce infant mortality.
It decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer,
type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
It protects infants from obesity-related illnesses, diabetes and increases the
IQ.
15. CORRECT NORMS OF INFANT AND
YOUNG CHILD FEEDING
Initiation of Breastfeeding within an hour of birth.
Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life i.e. only breast Milk ‘NO’
other milk, food, drink or water.
Appropriate and adequate complementary feeding from six months of age
while continuing breastfeeding.
Continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years or beyond.
16. BREASTFEEDING & SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
This important nutrition intervention will help in breaking the vicious cycle
of malnutrition and aid the Government to achieve National Nutrition Goals
and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030.
Increasing breastfeeding to near-international levels will help in saving more
than 800 000 lives every year, the majority being children under 6 months.
