Bartica moms, who breastfed exclusively, awarded during walk and Symposium

A walk and symposium was held in the Township of Bartica on Tuesday in recognition of World Breastfeeding Week which is celebrated by the United Nations (UN) from the 1^st to the 7^th of August annually. The walk commenced at the Bartica Regional Hospital compound and ended at the Bartica Centre Ground, where the symposium was held.

The walk was done to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and the prevalence of breastfeeding for mothers and infants. In recognition of this, six mothers from the 4 Miles Housing Scheme were awarded tokens for exclusively breastfeeding their infants during the last year.

Present at the event was Mayor Anthony Murray Snr, the Regional Health Officer of Region Seven – Dr. Edward Sagala, representatives from the three religious communities in Bartica, Nurse Sonia Burnette-Blair, a representative from the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), and others along with the staff of the Bartica Regional Hospital.

According to the UN, breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival and yet currently, fewer than half of infants under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed.

In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed World Breastfeeding Week as an important health promotion strategy. With a different theme each year, it aims to promote the enabling environments that help women to breastfeed – including support in the community and the workplace, with adequate protections in government policies and laws – as well as sharing information on breastfeeding benefits and strategies.