World Breastfeeding Week 2020-Support Breastfeeding for a healthier planet

Community-centered breast feeding awareness
for rural mothers & Capacity building session on‘Benefits of breast feeding’

World Breastfeeding Week 2020: Set every August, for the first seven days of the month, the ‘World Breast-feeding Week’ aims to highlight the huge benefits that breastfeeding can bring to both the health and welfare of babies, as well as a wider push for maternal health, focusing on good nutrition, poverty reduction and food security. World Breastfeeding Week begins each year on the 1st August and runs right through until the 7th August.

For making the mother and the baby live a healthier life many organizations including the World Health Organization, WABA, WHO, Unicef, Professional agencies, Governments and voluntary groups alike have joined hands each year to work together and create global awareness on the importance of breast feeding. This age-old practice promotes better health for mothers and children alike.

Increasing breastfeeding to near-universal levels could save more than 800 000 lives every year says WHO, the majority being children under 6 months. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. It is estimated that increased breastfeeding could avert maternal deaths each year due to breast cancer. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years or beyond.

The 2020 World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) theme is ‘Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet’..
For the 4th year at ICPH:At the International Center for Child and Public Health: Giving every child a healthy start to life is a vision , and keeping this central to our work, every action at ICPH & Shanti Ashram is around children. Observing such national and international health events galvanizes the effort to keep children healthy.

Calendar of Events
•August 3rd: Sharing of a public opinion piece on www.icphhealth.org on ‘Breast feeding & early childhood: the bond & the benefit! Coordinated by: Dr.Kezevino Aram, President, Shanti Ashram, Ms.Devika, Medical Technology Coordinator, ICPH
•August 1st to 7th: The ICPH team will conduct a ‘Community-centered breast feeding awareness for rural mothers’ in Perur and Madukkarai blocks. Mothers currently enrolled in antenatal programmes will be covered by the programme and a unique cooking demonstration will be organized as part of the programme. Coordinated by : Ms.Tamilarasi, Team Leader, Community outreach & Ms.Ranisha , Nutrition counselor, ICPH
•August 4th: Children’s Health Center will host young mothers from our service villages for a Capacity building session on ‘Benefits of breast feeding’. This will be held online by the ICPH team.
Experts for the session: Dr.Jayanthi Ramesh, Chief Peadiatrician, ICPH and
Dr.Nandhini Kumaran, Visiting Pediatric Consultant at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital
•August 6th: Breast Feeding Awareness for future mothers and fathers
Experts for the sessions: Dr.Subhadra Iyengar, Coordinator, Public health desk, ICPH
Dr.Jeyashree, Senior Peadiatrician, IAP

Programme