World Breastfeeding Week

Optimal breastfeeding helps prevent malnutrition in all its forms with positive lifelong effects on both children and mothers. Breastfeeding is a climate-smart decision that helps ensure food security even in times of crisis. Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is crucial for the health of our planet and its people. Beyond being the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development, breastfeeding is also the foundation of a country’s development. It is the great equaliser that will help break the cycle of poverty.

A team effort is needed to make breastfeeding work. By bringing together different stakeholders from healthcare, community and workplace sectors and including local authorities, we can create a warm chain of support for breastfeeding mothers. Consistent messages and proper referral systems throughout the warm chain will ensure that the mother-baby dyad benefits from ongoing support and skilled assistance. WABA coordinates a project in Penang, Malaysia to create a breastfeeding friendly community, with the final goal of integrating breastfeeding friendliness into initiatives that focus on healthy cities and sustainable development.