From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
Ahead of the World Breastfeeding Week, (WBW), celebration, the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), has met with media stakeholders to as part of its plan to towards its Zero Water campaigns and exclusive breastfeeding among nursing mothers.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, who spoke at the Zonal Media Dialogue on the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week, WBW and Zero Water Campaign organised in collaboration with the Anambra state government, called on the media to intensify advocacy on optimal exclusive breastfeeding for six months for babies.
She explained that the zero water campaign which will run for four months would be taken to the nooks and crannies of the communities in the focal states to ensure that the massage got to mothers and the relevant authorities as well as stakeholders.
Chiluwe, who was represented by the Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Field Office Enugu, Mrs. Ngozi Onuora, urged the media to support UNICEF by driving the campaign to engender positive behavioural change from the masses to breastfeeding practices for the benefit of the Nigerian child.
She said “the Zero Water campaign will take off after the World Breastfeeding Week and the massage will dwell on sustained optimal exclusive breastfeeding for the the health of the babies.”
The Chief of Field Office charged participants to “develop advocacy messages that would provoke normative behaviour change from the masses; sensitize them and give them the right information at everytime.”
Welcoming participants, the Governor of Anambra state, Chukwuma Solude, represented by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Mrs. Chisom Uchem, said the timing of the meeting was apt.
The Governor noted the important role exclusive breastfeeding plays in the lives of babies saying “because of the critical importance of breastfeeding to the health of the baby, we must all ensure that all hands are in deck to scale up breastfeeding in our various communities. The solution is nutrition.”
Earlier on the meeting objectives and outcomes, the Communication Officer, UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, harped on the importance of breastfeeding in the first 59 months in the lives of children.
According to her, in driving the WBW and four months long Zero Water Campaign, strategies like stakeholders conversations at all levels on the importance of workplace support for breastfeeding, the benefits of breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, and the impact on working parents, would be adopted.
She said the workshop was to identified media channels to encourage employers to adopt supportive practices such as providing designated breastfeeding areas, flexible work schedules, and extended maternity leave and among others, use the event as a high-profile launch event to kickstart the 2023 World Breastfeeding Week”
Onuoha-Ogwe also stated that the event was to “pitch the theme ‘Enabling breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents” for 2023 WBW among journalists, media practitioners and Government; strategize with media on ways of increasing optimal breastfeeding practices among nursing mothers and care givers.”
“The essence is also to ensure that journalists in Benue, Anambra, Enugu and Cross Rivers states galvanized action for sustained breastfeeding practices by families, employers, government, persons in positions to take favourable actions in the interest of women and children as well as taking the initiatives for improved nutritional actions among others.”
In her presentation on “Zero Water: Campaign-an overview”, the Nutrition Specialist, noted that “breastfeeding is a powerful life-saver. It is also a critical to the long term health and well-being of both mother and child.
“Unfortunately, the majority of world’s mothers are not able to optimally breastfeed their children. In fact, only 38 percent of infants are exclusively breastfed in the first six months and suboptimal breastfeeding practices contribute to roughly 800,000 child deaths annually.
“The 2017 World Breastfeeding week marks the 25th Anniversary of WBW with the theme “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together” to draw the attention of advocates, activists, decision makers, media and young people for long-term partnership to protect, promote and support Exclusive Breastfeeding for the first six months of Life without water.
“The practice of feeding extra water in addition to breast milk is widespread in Nigeria, and in many locations, other foods and liquids are fed prematurely. This is harmful, as the extra water not only introduces illness-causing pathogens, but also reduces the child’s thirst and effective suckling.
“Over the years, the Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) rate has shown only marginal increase from the very low rate of two percent in 1990 to 17 percent in 2013 to 29 percent in 2018 as reported by Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) to 34 percent in 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, (MICS).”