WCD Ministry promotes Breastfeeding Week to ensure kids don't get malnourished

The Union Women and Child Development Ministry is celebrating the World Breastfeeding Week with a focus on “protection, promotion and support” of breastfeeding that it hopes will help in breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition. The WCD Ministry, in a statement, said this nutrition intervention will also aid the government to achieve the National Nutrition Goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030. Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said it is important to practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months of the birth and continue thereafter for at least two years, to overcome the challenge of malnutrition. “Breast milk is the first immunisation a child receives from mother; not only it has exceptional nutritional qualities, but Colostrum secreted after childbirth contains anti-infective properties essential for building immunity against infections,” she said in a tweet.

Breast Milk is the first immunization a child receives from mother; not only it has exceptional nutritional qualities, but Colostrum secreted after child birth contains anti-infective properties essential for building immunity against infections.

— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) August 2, 2019

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), increasing breastfeeding to near-international levels will help in saving more than 8,00,000 lives every year, the majority being children under six months. During the week, activities like Annaprashan ceremony and quiz competitions on Infant and Young Child Feeding are being conducted in 30 states and Union Territories from August 1-7 on the theme of ‘Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding’, the ministry said. [caption id=“attachment_7110161” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] World Breastfeeding week. Image credit: Flickr/Thomas Widmann Follow[/caption] The activities are being conducted through 43 community food and nutrition extension units of the Food and Nutrition Board, involving the state health department functionaries, home science colleges, medical institutes, universities, NGOs and other stakeholders. The objective of the week-long programmes is to create awareness among parents about breastfeeding, the importance of initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, and adequate and appropriate complementary feeding. During the week, the ministry said, awareness generation on healthy eating, maintenance of hygiene and sanitation will be held for pregnant and lactating mothers. “In addition to this, awareness programmes will be held at the village level through puppet shows, skits, dance and drama, films, slide shows and rallies,” the statement added.