By Sola Charles
In continuation of their commitment to the survival and welfare of children, Save the Children International (SCI) and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) are seeking stronger political support for breastfeeding in Nigeria.
Noting that breastmilk is a natural, free, accessible, and rich nutritious source of all valuable nutrients that save lives, and serve as a vaccine, the two bodies called on the government at all levels, and all stakeholders to promote, protect, support, and sustain breastfeeding-friendly environments for lactating mothers and their babies in the post-pandemic era.
Making the call on the occasion of the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week, SCI and the NGF stressed that health workers, professionals, and their professional associations should be key advocates for breastfeeding and play an important role in influencing political support.
World Breastfeeding Week 2022 focuses on strengthening the capacity of different relevant actors; health workers and other structures at community levels that must take positive actions to promote, protect and support breastfeeding. It enhances child growth and development, increases their performance at school, improves immunity to withstand diseases, and savings from household income.
"If breastfeeding were adopted at close to universal levels, in low- and middle-income countries, 823,000 child deaths could be prevented each year," SCI indicated in its report entitled “Nutrition Critical: Why we must act now to tackle child malnutrition (2020).”
The report further revealed that early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of life, alongside exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and complementary feeding until the age of two, is essential to child survival, health, growth, and development.
Both the SCI and NGF expressed the belief that health workers, professionals, and their professional associations should be key advocates for breastfeeding and play an important role in influencing political support for breastfeeding in Nigeria.
"Our organization has been in support of the full boarding of health and medical facilities at workplaces and in fact, as a proactive organization, we have a functional creche in our office where nursing mothers can keep their offspring and we recommend that all organizations should make provision for such to enhance baby/mother bonding without necessarily affecting their jobs adversely,’’ the Director-General of the NGF, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru noted in his statement.
On his own part, Mr. Famari Barro, Country Director, SCI, Nigeria observed: “Proper education of the mothers and their caregivers/support systems on the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, can encourage them to practice it. All health workers, including health professionals and lay health workers, who come into contact with women, infants and families must be adequately trained to provide evidence-based breastfeeding support.” 
Already, the leadership of SCI and NGF are working together to support initiatives where health care workers and providers, community workers, and volunteers are adequately trained to provide breastfeeding counselling, correctly advise caregivers on child nutrition, and provide psycho-social support to pregnant women, women with infants and young children and adolescent girls, thus integrating Mental Health & Psychosocial support into all Mother Infant and Young Child Feeding (MIYCF) counselling.
"We are also focused on ensuring pregnant women and caregivers of children less than two years of age benefit from social protection measures to support appropriate, respectful, and safe maternity services and recommended infant and young child feeding practices in Nigeria."
Save the Children is a leading child rights organization headquartered in the UK with offices in over 120 countries around the world. Since it was founded 102 years ago, it has changed the lives of more than one billion children for the better.
In Nigeria and around the world, SCI gives children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. SCI believes that every child deserves a future and we work every day including in
times of crisis to ensure the future of every child is secure. The organization works with partners to help governments identify and scale up innovations to ensure that children survive, learn, and are protected.
The NGF is a coalition of elected Governors of the 36 States of Nigeria. It is the leading voice of Governors and a non-partisan policy hub dedicated to promoting good governance and development at the sub-national level.
No comments:
Post a Comment