UNICEF unveils fresh strategies to deepen exclusive breastfeeding
In order to secure the lives of new born babies, enhance family well-being and ensure healthy motherhood, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has devised alternative mechanisms of deeping exclusive breastfeeding in the Bauchi field office (BFO) as the world celebrates breastfeeding week.
The new strategy seeks to take advocacies of exclusive breastfeeding to the door steps of the fathers being the most important decision makers at family level.
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The alternative strategy was adopted amidst low indices of exclusive breastfeeding in the BFO.
Data obtained from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) indicated low exclusive breastfeeding indices despite huge investments by the UNICEF and critical stakeholders to ensure the success of program.
The MICS report indicated that Adamawa State lead in exclusive breastfeeding with 53.3 percent acceptability trailed by Plateau State with 38.6 percent while Taraba recorded 33.7 percent just as Gombe and Bauchi states recorded 30.7 and 26.4 percents respectively.
To enhance the success of the new method, UNICEF has enlisted the support of critical stakeholders including, religious and traditional leadership.
In her presentation during a parley with journalists in Yola, UNICEF nutrition specialist, Philomena Irene disclosed that the new strategy is centered around journalists as they will serve as the new advocates of the exclusive breastfeeding by taking advocacies to the fathers at their various locations and domains.
She noted that the aim of the new drive is to be able to generate new champions of exclusive breastfeeding amongst fathers who operate mainly in the informal sector like cobblers, Keke Napep operators, tailors, mechanics etc.
Irene noted that the journalists are expected to document their experiences in small doable actions until success is attained.
She added that at the end of the day, the journalists are expected to produce a scintillating human interest report of how they painstakingly convince fathers to become champions of exclusive breastfeeding.
While pledging to work hand-in-hand with the UNICEF to ensure the success of the new drive, religious and traditional leaders promised to ensure the information is seamlessly passed to their followers across the state.
Making the pledge, the district head of Nyibango, Alh. Abubakar Jika, the representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Adamawa State, David Simon and the representative of Adamawa State Muslim Council, Bashir Tahir all vowed to leverage on the goodwill and their massive reach to take the message to the fathers.
They noted that the relevance of exclusive breastfeeding can not be overemphasized as the two religions have adequately made provisions for exclusive breastfeeding in the scriptures promising to spread the message with intensity and seriousness it deserves because of its immense benefits to the society.
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