By Yusli Harini - EBPP Health Team Leader
Celebrated annually from 1st - 7th August, World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to generate public awareness and support of breastfeeding’s advantage for both the health and welfare of baby and mother, by sharing how EBPP strives to encourage breastfeeding mothers through our 5-year malnutrition study “Developing a Family-Based Nutrition Intervention Model in Ban Village" in collaboration with experts from Udayana University, with the primary goal of eliminating infant malnutrition.
Our interventions support breastfeeding mothers through a series of family gatherings, structured into three stages, conducted over a three-month period. These gatherings involve the participation of not only the mothers but also their husbands and/or in-laws who reside together, recognizing their strong influence in maternal and child health decisions.
Through this initiative, we equip mothers and families with a comprehensive set of health and nutrition information to promote ideal breastfeeding practices, including guidance on a well-balanced diet for breastfeeding mothers to produce nutrient-rich breast milk (utilizing local foods using ‘food pyramid’ concepts), the significance of exclusive breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary foods, and monitoring children’s growth and development. During each meeting, we strongly emphasize the importance of family support in ensuring successful breastfeeding to facilitate the baby’s optimal growth. We also employed engaging EMO-DEMO (Emotional-Demonstration) activities for each topic to enhance understanding.
While breastfeeding is a natural process, it can be challenging at times. Mothers require support throughout the breastfeeding journey. EBPP remains committed to fostering sustainable breastfeeding practices within the community, as this is essential in eradicating infant malnutrition, particularly during the Golden Period: the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life. •
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