World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually from August 1-7 to promote breastfeeding globally, commemorating the Innocenti Declaration by WHO and UNICEF in 1990. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is dedicated to advocating for the rights of mothers and infants regarding breastfeeding, and aims to foster a supportive environment through initiatives and ethical funding policies. Key efforts include community support, maternal education, and engaging governments to implement practices that enhance breastfeeding rates and support mothers.

1. WORLD BREASTFEEDING
WEEK
1 – 7 AUGUST 2013
BY: SAPAM LINDA
MSc. Nurse (OBG)

2. World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every
year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170
countries to encourage breastfeeding and
improve the health of babies around the world.
It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration
made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in
August 1990 to protect, promote and support
breastfeeding.

4. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
(WABA) was formed on 14 February, 1991.
WABA is a global network of organizations
and individuals who believe breastfeeding is
the right of all children and mothers and who
dedicate themselves to protect, promote and
support this right. WABA acts on the Innocenti
Declaration and works in close liaison with
UNICEF.

5. VISION
A world where breastfeeding is the
cultural norm, where mothers and
families are enabled to feed and care
optimally for their infants and young
children thus contributing to a just and
healthy society.

6. MISSION
To protect, promote and support breast-
feeding worldwide in the framework of the
Innocenti Declarations (1990 and 2005) and
the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child
Feeding through networking and facilitating
collaborative efforts in social mobilisation,
advocacy, information dissemi- nation and
capacity building.

7. GOAL
To foster a strong and cohesive
breastfeeding movement, which will act
on the various international instruments
to create an enabling environment for
mothers, thus contributing to increasing
optimal breastfeeding and infant and
young child feeding practices.

8. FUNDING POLICY
WABA does not accept funds or gifts from
manufacturers or distributors of breast milk
substitutes, related equipment such as feeding bottles
and teats, commercial foods for breastfeeding
mothers, or commercial complementary foods. It also
does not accept funds or gifts from manufacturers of
other products commonly used in infant feeding such
as breast pumps and encourages WABA endorsers to
adopt the same ethical stance.

9.  1992 Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)
 1993 Mother-Friendly Workplace Initiative (MFWI)
 1994 Protect Breastfeeding: Making the Code Work
 1995 Breastfeeding: Empowering Women
 1996 Breastfeeding: A Community Responsibility
 1997 Breastfeeding: Nature's Way

10.  1998 Breastfeeding: The Best Investment
 1999 Breastfeeding: Education for Life
 2000 Breastfeeding: It's Your Right
 2001 Breastfeeding in the Information Age
 2002 Breastfeeding: Healthy Mothers and Healthy
Babies
 2003 Breastfeeding in a Globalised World
............for Peace and Justice

11.  2004 Exclusive Breastfeeding: the Gold Standard -
............Safe, Sound, Sustainable
 2005 Breastfeeding and Family Foods: Loving & Healthy -
............Feeding Other Foods While Breastfeeding is
Continued
 2006 Code Watch - 25 Years of Protecting Breastfeeding
 2007 Breastfeeding: The 1st Hour - Save ONE million
babies!

12.  2008 Mother Support: Going for the Gold Everyone
Wins!
............
 2009 Breastfeeding: A Vital Emergency Response
............
 2010 Breastfeeding, Just 10 Steps! -
............The baby friendly way
 2011 Talk To Me! Breastfeeding -
............A 3D Experience
 2012 Understanding the Past…… Planning the Future

15. 1. To draw attention to the importance of Peer Support in
helping mothers to establish and sustain breastfeeding.
2. To inform people of the highly effective benefits of Peer
Counselling, and unite efforts to expand peer counselling
programmes.
3. To encourage breastfeeding supporters, regardless of thei r
educat ional background, to step forward and be trained to
support mothers and babies.
4. To identify local community support contacts for
breastfeeding mothers, that women can go to for help and
support after giving birth.
5. To call on governments and maternity facilities globally to
actively implement the Ten Steps, in particular Step 10, to
improve duration and rates of exclusive breastfeeding.

17. SUPPORT for breastfeeding illustrate the potential
influences on a mother's decision to breastfeed and to
have a positive breastfeeding experience. Previously
featured during World Breastfeeding Week 2008, the
Circles of Support continue to be a vital foundation for
mothers to breastfeed their babies, and more. The
CIRCLES OF SUPPORT are: Family and Social
Network, Healthcare, Workplace and
Employment, Government/ Legislation and Response
to Crisis or Emergency, all surrounding women in the
center circle.

18. WOMEN IN THE CENTER CIRCLE:
Women are in the center because the presence
or absence of support impacts them directly.
Women also have an important role in securing
support and in providing it to others. Within
the Global Initiative for Mother Support
(GIMS) for Breastfeeding Statement (2007)
we noted, 'Mothers are considered active
participants in the support dynamic, being both
providers and recipients of information and
support'.

19. FAMILY AND SOCIAL NETWORK:
Husbands/partners/fathers, family and friends
compose the mother's immediate and continuous
support network. Social support includes community
support - at the market place, within a religious
context, at a neighbourhood park, etc. Support during
pregnancy reduces stress. Support during labour and
birth empowers the mother. Societal support
increases the mother's confidence in her ability to
breastfeed beyond the early weeks and months.

20. HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS:
This includes a multitude of opportunities to
support breast feeding. These opportunities
range from mother friendly prenatal care and
supportive labor and delivery services to
postpartum and postnatal care that facilitates
bonding and optimal infant feeding. Health
workers trained in counselling skills support
mothers before and after birth.

21. WORKPLACE AND EMPLOYMENT:
Employed women face challenges and
need support to succeed at working and
breastfeeding. The opportunities for
mother support are as varied as the work
women do, but usually involve facili-
tating mother-baby contact or expression
and storage of breast milk.

22. GOVERNMENT/LEGISLATION:
Women who plan to breastfeed or who are
already breastfeeding benefit from the support
of international documents, protections for
optimal infant feeding, plus active and well
funded national commissions. Legislation that
combats aggressive marketing of breast milk
substitutes and enacts paid maternity leave
also benefits breastfeeding women.

23. RESPONSE TO CRISIS OR EMERGENCY:
This CIRCLE OF SUPPORT represents the need
for support IF a woman finds herself in an
unexpected and / or serious situation, with little
control. Situations that require special planning
and support are: natural disasters, refugee
camps, divorce proceedings, critical illness of
mother or baby, or living in an area of high
HIV/AIDS prevalence with no support for
breastfeeding.