By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The Somaliland ministry of health has intensified nationwide breastfeeding awareness campaigns as part of its commemoration of the annual World Breastfeeding Week-WBW 2013.
While revealing that the theme of WBW 2013 is ‘BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS’ the somaliland minister of health Dr Suleiman Isse Ahmed ‘Hagaltosie’ urged mothers to ensure children are breast fed properly since the mother’s milk is very useful in facilitating healthy and diseases resistant children.
“While we join the rest of the world in commemorating WBW 2013 which runs from 1 – 7 August I urge to breastfeed properly and health workers to ensure that relevant information is availed parents both fathers and mothers” s
aid Dr Hagaltosie
Stressing on the importance of breastfeeding the health Minister Dr Suleiman Isse Hagaltosie said that not only children benefit but mothers, community and the entire country as well”
The health minister who called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders towards supporting breastfeeding within local communities thanked UNICEF for its continued assistance to the country’s health sector.
Themed ‘BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT: CLOSE TO MOTHERS’ WBW 2013 Objectives are
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 their educational 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.
For more on world breastfeeding week visit http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/
