Genesis Foundation joins the celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, promoted by the World Health Organization, WHO, which develops from August 1 to 7, 2017.
The has been work with pregnant women and nursing mothers, with the aim of promoting breastfeeding as a fundamental practice for the integral development of children. Currently, the program develops in three departments of the country: Chocó, Magdalena and Tumaco. Nutrition teams share their experiences and knowledge on this topic.
Margarita Vives, a program nutritionist in the department of Magdalena, says that breastfeeding offers great benefits to children, since it prevents diseases that may occur in the first years of life such as otitis, bronchiolitis, diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and flu among others. "Integrating nutrition with the psychosocial part, not only prevent diseases, also have children who grow up happy, safe, loved and protected"
According to Ronnie Olive and Maryanne Valoyes, members of the First Learning Steps program in Chocó department, breastfeeding favors the affective bond between the mother and the children and, in turn, contributes to the development of the emotional and social skills necessary to undertake the processes learning. "Breastfeeding is promoted in the territories by visiting home and in group meetings where good breastfeeding practices are strengthened."
The promotion of this practice does through the recognition of breast milk as a unique food, with all the nutritional support that children need in their first years of life. In addition, different training processes develops with pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and their families, creating spaces to raise awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and the importance of breastfeeding in the process of integral development of children.
In the period of the celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week, different activities carries out in places where the First Learning Steps program is currently implemented, such as carnivals, social mobilizations, and awareness talks, among others. All with the aim of encouraging exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life and as complementary in the first two years.
Genesis Foundation supports and promotes breastfeeding in public spaces. Breastfeeding saves lives, according to data from the World Health Organization, if 50% of newborns are breastfed for the first six months, it can save the lives of 823,000 children and 20,000 women per year.
Breastfeeding allows boys and girls to have a better physical, cognitive and social development that will give them all the skills necessary to have successful training processes.
For more information on Breastfeeding, visit the official WORDL BREASTTFEEDING WEEK website and learn how this practice contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
You can also read the latest report from UNICEF and WHO on the effects of the lack of investment in breastfeeding around the world.
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