Iloke Egbe
The importance of breastfeeding to the health of a child and mother has been recognized and emphasized as a practice that provides multiple benefits beyond just the mother and child to the society and by extension the world.
Proper breastfeeding provides a child the natural nutrients required for the proper growth and development of a child with no side effects to either the mother or child. It also promotes psychological bonding between mother and child and helps the child to develop a strong immune system that protects them from common illnesses which hinder's children from achieving their full potential in Life.
A lot of policies and programmes have been developed and promoted by different governments including the annual observation of world breastfeeding week which aimed to educate stakeholders and coordinate resources, implement programs to support the proper growth and development of children which are the future of any society or nation.
The celebration for this year is with the theme *Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works* and provided stakeholders the opportunity to visit organizations both public and private with planned activities which dymistify some myth hindering effective breastfeeding practices.
In Cross River State, the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week was celebrated by the State Government in collaboration with Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition in Nigeria CS-SUNN, through the State Ministry of Health, the State Planning Commission, State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
The week-long activities brought together Government Institutions, health workers, religious and community leaders, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), the media and other stakeholders to promote breastfeeding and strengthen support systems for mothers and children across the State. The activities featured a combination of advocacy visits, media engagements, church and mosque sensitization, community mobilisation, and capacity-building activities for health workers and Traditional Birth Attendace
The program was designed to increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, promote optimal breastfeeding practices, strengthen community and institutional support for breastfeeding mothers, and improve the capacity of health workers and other key community influencers to provide appropriate breastfeeding information and support Which were implemented at both State and Local Government Area (LGA) levels, with participation from relevant stakeholders and health personnel across the State.
The State teams led by State Nutrition Officer Mrs. Nkem Eyong Ubana also participated in a radio sensitization programme at HIT FM, Sparking FM and CRBC radio where breastfeeding messages were shared with a wider audience and the importance of community support for breastfeeding mothers was well emphasised.
In an interview with across section of breastfeeding mothers on how they feel breastfeeding their children, many asserted that they feel better and happier breastfeeding their babies, while others requested for support in terms of palliatives to enable mother's breastfeeding their babies adequately. Members of the State committee on food and nutrition participated actively in the celebration.
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