The Malawi Government, World Vision, World Food Programme among other organisations have urged mothers to dedicate more time breast feeding their infants so that their brains develop properly.
This comes after Malawi has this week joined other countries to commemorate the World Breast Feeding week so as to promote, support and protect breast feeding as a natural and best way of feeding young children.
Health Minister Dr. Peter Kampalume said this in Mpherere, Ntchisi when Government in conjunction with World Vision, UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP) and Save the Children launched the breast feeding week.
“Breast feeding is the best if we want our children to be intelligent. Let me urge fathers to take a leading role in ensuring that mother’s breast feed their children not less than 10 times a day,” he said.
Kampalume said that there was no other form of nutrient that can match breast feeding if children are to grow healthier and intelligent.
“As government through this launch we want to remind mothers and fathers to breast feed their children even 10 times a day,” said the minister.
According to Kampalume, working class mothers need to dedicate more time to breast feed their infants until they are fully grown up.
“Breast feeding is important and mothers ensure that infants and young children are breast feed. Let me encourage you to breast your infants and young children. I was also breast fed by my mother,” said Kampalume.
In her remarks Theresa Banda, who is the maternal newborn and child health technical advisor at World Vision said they will continue to partner government and other stakeholders so that infants grow healthier.
“Our message as World Vision is that infants have to be breast fed seriously until after six month and thereafter give them balanced diet food for the good health of the child,” said Banda.
World Vision is also implementing a prevention of stunting project in Ntchisi, which champions breast feeding, provision of balanced diet food, among others.
The breast feeding week is celebrated during the first week of August on the anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration and here in Malawi its theme is BREASTFEEDING: A Winning Goal–for Life!
The theme also underscores the importance of ongoing support for mothers across the country, according to government and its partners.
Aworld Vision inalikale,sopana alibe chitukuko akungopatsa ana ma baluni pemene iwo akutenga cash pamwamba pa ana obala Azawo.
Uko ndikuwapasa mangolomera azimayi kuti azibeleka kwambiri, masiku ano alimbikiseni azimayi kukhala ndi Ana ochepa kuti akhale ndi moyo wathazi asamakhalire kuyamisa ana angawonde paja population yathu ikuthamangira ku 19million