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UNICEF gets thumbs up for planting seeds of exclusive breastfeeding in Benue
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By Peter Duru – Makurdi
By Peter Duru – Makurdi
The 2021 World Breastfeeding Week, WBW, with the global theme, Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility, may have come and gone but the campaigns to instill in mothers the practice of ensuring the proper breastfeeding of their babies and young children have become a daily grind in a place like Benue state.
This is largely due to the years of robust trainings and core awareness raising on the import of adequate breastfeeding for children and the underlying benefits of that very important practice carried out in the state by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
It is on that basis that it has therefore became a norm in the state to have pregnant and nursing mothers tutored on the practice through organized awareness programmes in the communities, in the health facilities and through the media.
This accounts for the level of awareness of the importance of breastfeeding in state and the momentum the campaign has gained overtime.
Though this year, Benue state did not formally mark the World Breastfeeding Week, WBW, the state no doubt has continued to make it a top priority to have mothers conscientised on the importance of exclusive and adequate breastfeeding of infants and young children.
The Baby Friendly Initiative Coordinator in the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Service, Mrs. Fustina Shia who spoke to Vanguard on the development said the state was on track in its quest to check incidents of infant and child mortality through adequate breastfeeding of the children.
Mrs. Shia said “We did not formally celebrate the World Breastfeeding Week, WBW, in Benue state but the message is not lost on us because we know the implication and possible consequences of failing to have our infants and young children properly breastfed.
“We obviously fall back on the supports, assistance and trainings we had from the UNICEF to ensure that babies are not denied the inherent benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
“So we have been building on it and also nurture it to ensure that what UNICEF planted to ensure proper breastfeeding of babies in the state is sustained.
“Hence even without celebrating the week we know what we should do all year round to keep mothers abreast with the benefits of breastfeeding the babies and to also encourage them to adhere to rules of exclusive breastfeeding because it is the foundation of sound health for every child.
ALSO READ: Baby food producers using covid-19 to discourage breastfeeding for economic gains — UNICEF, WHO
“For instance, you and I know that our state is facing the challenge of herdsmen attacks that have rendered hundreds of thousands homeless and forcing them to take refuge in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps. What we did in those communities was to embark on campaigns in the IDPs camps and it is also yielding fruitful results.
“Also, as part of efforts to drive home the message, for example, in the IDPs camps in Daudu and Gbajimba in Guma Local Government Area of the state, we have been able to form Infants and Young Child Feeding Support Groups in those camps.
“We give them some trainings and we do hold monthly meetings and also visit the camps for supervision to build on what we have learnt.
“So despite the failure of the state government to organize a formal celebration of the WBW, we have not failed to carry on with the message of nutrition for babies and young children which was the seed initially planted in the state by UNICEF and I can assure you that the message has gain grounds and mothers are imbibing it for the good of our children,” she added.
On her part, the Nutrition Focal Person in Guma LGA, Mrs. Agnes Guma corroborated that despite the failure of the government to formally mark the week in the state, the breastfeeding campaign in the LGA has become a top priority for her office.
According to her, “it has become a routine for us in Guma LGA to ensure that pregnant and nursing mothers are always sensitized on the importance of breastfeeding of babies and children to help them grow up well.
“That is the massage that must be passed on to these women on the days of visiting at the health facilities and I am convinced that majority of mothers have become more aware of the immense benefits of proper breastfeeding and what it means to the nutrition of their babies and children.”
“The role of UNICEF and her partners to ensure that they brought us to this level of awareness cannot be overemphasized because today we are better for it.”
Speaking to Vanguard, a nursing mother at the General Hospital Gbajimba, Mrs. Ngor Kesegh said she had overtime benefitted from the sensitization programme on breastfeeding always carried out by caregivers in the hospital.
“When I was pregnant I used to come here for antenatal and in those days they usually addressed us on why we must ensure that we breastfeed our babies. And when I gave birth they intensified the lectures on the days they hold talks with nursing mothers on the need to ensure proper nutrition for our babies, and it has helped us to know the importance of breast milk to the child.
“Our major challenge is the persistent herdsmen attacks in some of our communities which has forced many of our people including women and children to flee their ancestral homes to IDPs camps where mothers may face challenges observing explosive breastfeeding for the children,” she said.
This is largely due to the years of robust trainings and core awareness raising on the import of adequate breastfeeding for children and the underlying benefits of that very important practice carried out in the state by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
It is on that basis that it has therefore became a norm in the state to have pregnant and nursing mothers tutored on the practice through organized awareness programmes in the communities, in the health facilities and through the media.
This accounts for the level of awareness of the importance of breastfeeding in state and the momentum the campaign has gained overtime.
Though this year, Benue state did not formally mark the World Breastfeeding Week, WBW, the state no doubt has continued to make it a top priority to have mothers conscientised on the importance of exclusive and adequate breastfeeding of infants and young children.
The Baby Friendly Initiative Coordinator in the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Service, Mrs. Fustina Shia who spoke to Vanguard on the development said the state was on track in its quest to check incidents of infant and child mortality through adequate breastfeeding of the children.
Mrs. Shia said “We did not formally celebrate the World Breastfeeding Week, WBW, in Benue state but the message is not lost on us because we know the implication and possible consequences of failing to have our infants and young children properly breastfed.
“We obviously fall back on the supports, assistance and trainings we had from the UNICEF to ensure that babies are not denied the inherent benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.
“So we have been building on it and also nurture it to ensure that what UNICEF planted to ensure proper breastfeeding of babies in the state is sustained.
“Hence even without celebrating the week we know what we should do all year round to keep mothers abreast with the benefits of breastfeeding the babies and to also encourage them to adhere to rules of exclusive breastfeeding because it is the foundation of sound health for every child.
ALSO READ: Baby food producers using covid-19 to discourage breastfeeding for economic gains — UNICEF, WHO
“For instance, you and I know that our state is facing the challenge of herdsmen attacks that have rendered hundreds of thousands homeless and forcing them to take refuge in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps. What we did in those communities was to embark on campaigns in the IDPs camps and it is also yielding fruitful results.
“Also, as part of efforts to drive home the message, for example, in the IDPs camps in Daudu and Gbajimba in Guma Local Government Area of the state, we have been able to form Infants and Young Child Feeding Support Groups in those camps.
“We give them some trainings and we do hold monthly meetings and also visit the camps for supervision to build on what we have learnt.
“So despite the failure of the state government to organize a formal celebration of the WBW, we have not failed to carry on with the message of nutrition for babies and young children which was the seed initially planted in the state by UNICEF and I can assure you that the message has gain grounds and mothers are imbibing it for the good of our children,” she added.
On her part, the Nutrition Focal Person in Guma LGA, Mrs. Agnes Guma corroborated that despite the failure of the government to formally mark the week in the state, the breastfeeding campaign in the LGA has become a top priority for her office.
According to her, “it has become a routine for us in Guma LGA to ensure that pregnant and nursing mothers are always sensitized on the importance of breastfeeding of babies and children to help them grow up well.
“That is the massage that must be passed on to these women on the days of visiting at the health facilities and I am convinced that majority of mothers have become more aware of the immense benefits of proper breastfeeding and what it means to the nutrition of their babies and children.”
“The role of UNICEF and her partners to ensure that they brought us to this level of awareness cannot be overemphasized because today we are better for it.”
Speaking to Vanguard, a nursing mother at the General Hospital Gbajimba, Mrs. Ngor Kesegh said she had overtime benefitted from the sensitization programme on breastfeeding always carried out by caregivers in the hospital.
“When I was pregnant I used to come here for antenatal and in those days they usually addressed us on why we must ensure that we breastfeed our babies. And when I gave birth they intensified the lectures on the days they hold talks with nursing mothers on the need to ensure proper nutrition for our babies, and it has helped us to know the importance of breast milk to the child.
“Our major challenge is the persistent herdsmen attacks in some of our communities which has forced many of our people including women and children to flee their ancestral homes to IDPs camps where mothers may face challenges observing explosive breastfeeding for the children,” she said.
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