Aga Khan Hospital launches World Breastfeeding Week
What you need to know:
- The event held at the hospital was designed to educate and support a diverse audience, including expectant mothers, new parents, health practitioners, and the broader community.
Dar es Salaam. The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam, yesterday kicked off World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) with free awareness sessions on appropriate nutrition for breastfeeding mothers, which are crucial for both maternal and infant health.
With this year’s theme, “Closing the Gap: Breastfeed Support for All,” WBW, which is celebrated every year worldwide on August 1 – 7, underscores the critical need to provide comprehensive support for breastfeeding mothers and their families.
This theme emphasizes the importance of universal support for breastfeeding, aiming to bridge gaps and ensure that all mothers receive the guidance and resources they need.
The event held at the hospital was designed to educate and support a diverse audience, including expectant mothers, new parents, health practitioners, and the broader community.
The attendees were engaged through a series of informative and interactive activities aimed at enhancing breastfeeding knowledge and practices.
The event featured hands-on demonstrations on expressing, storing, and feeding expressed breast milk, as well as practical advice on proper attachment and positioning of the baby at the breast.
To make learning engaging and memorable, the event incorporated exciting games and puzzles designed to enhance breastfeeding knowledge and understanding.
Apart from that, the Aga Khan Hospital also has planned a series of outreach activities throughout the week including partnering with other hospitals in Dar es Salaam to spread awareness and offer support to new mothers and pregnant women, extending the reach and impact of the breastfeeding advocacy efforts.
The designated topic to foster the breastfeeding culture and change to steer the discussion during the session is, "Breastfeeding and Work: Supporting the employed mother.”
The session is scheduled to take place on August 7, 2024, from 6:00pm onwards and will bring together various stakeholders, including employers, labour unions, the Ministry of Health, health care experts, and professional associations.
Speaking while giving opening remarks, paediatrician, lactation consultant, and Head of Paediatric Department at Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania (AKHST), Dr Mariam Noorani, said optimal breastfeeding can save the lives of over 800,000 infants every year.
“To successfully breastfeed, mothers and babies need support from families, communities, health workers, and policymakers. Together, we can close the gap and improve breastfeeding rates in Tanzania,” she said.
For his part, AKST Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sisawo Konteh reminded the participants and public at large that breastfeeding is a fundamental aspect of public health, offering numerous benefits for both infants and mothers.
“It is our commitment to join hands in this global campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action on themes related to breastfeeding and fostering changes on education and support for mothers, so that we can all step up for breastfeeding! As a private provider, we will continue to complement and support the government, healthcare actors, community actors and society at large to advocate and normalise breastfeeding and create breastfeeding-friendly environments across our facilities,” he said.
