Enhancing Child Nutrition during World Breastfeeding Week

Breastfeeding is among the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Breastmilk is ideal for infants because it is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. It provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.

To raise awareness and foster action on the importance of breastfeeding, World Health Assembly, endorsed the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) observed from August 1st to 7th annually. This year, WBW focuses on the theme of "Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a difference for working parents," highlighting the crucial role of breastfeeding in the lives of employed mothers and fathers.

The Right2Grow Alliance is a champion for nutrition and well-being of children under five, recognizing the pivotal role of breastfeeding, particularly during the first 1000 days of a child's life. As part of our efforts, Right2Grow supports and advocates for improved breastfeeding practices as well as policies that favor and provide a better breastfeeding environment. This is done through various means like leveraging on media to share information on breastfeeding, holding community engagements, influencing policy makers and other key stakeholders to develop policies that promote breastfeeding, to mention but a few.

Our country program partners have dedicated various activities to celebrating and promoting WBW this year

The Right2Grow team in Uganda, spearheaded by Food Rights Alliance, one of the National partners of the Right2Grow Uganda Program, will leverage the National WBW event to launch the zero stunting campaign. This campaign, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Health over the past year and a half, aims to reduce malnutrition rates from 29% to 19% by 2025. The strategy will be shared with and adopted by all district local governments ahead of the event by the Ministry of Health. The event will take place in Kakumiro district, one of the areas where the Right2Grow program is implemented, and will be graced by the presence of the Prime Minister of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robina Nabanja.

Meanwhile, Right2Grow Bangladesh has actively participated in two crucial planning meetings with the National Nutrition Services (NNS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The collaborative efforts have paved the way for an extensive country-wide campaign encompassing diverse initiatives such as discussion meetings, scientific seminars, national-level roundtable discussions, media campaigns, TV broadcasts, press conferences, and an art competition. The campaign aims to address crucial health and nutrition issues across Bangladesh and improve the well-being of communities.

During this campaign, Right2Grow Bangladesh will directly support designing, printing and disseminating campaign posters to enhance Right2Grow’s visual presence. Leveraging the power of social media, the program will launch a comprehensive campaign on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to spread awareness and engage a wider audience. Along with other esteemed programs and organizations like Suchana, Shisuder Jonno, and Save the Children, Right2Grow will conduct impactful roundtable discussions at the national level to facilitate vital conversations on health and nutrition. They will also host special sessions dedicated to pregnant women and mothers of children to emphasize the significance of breastfeeding within communities.

We will keep you posted on all the Right2Grow activities taking place around World Breastfeeding Week.