By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF,has urged stakeholders including states and Local Government officials to put mothers first by encouraging them to prioritize breastfeeding as well as build sustainable support system for every mother and child in the country.
UNICEF Chief of Field Office Enugu,Mrs Juliet Chihuwe, gave the challenge during flag off of this years World Breastfeeding Week celebration held at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital,BSUTH, and the Ultra Modern International Market yesterday in Makurdi.
The event, themed “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,Chihuwe, explained it was aimed to highlight the importance of breastfeeding and the need for supportive systems for mothers and babies.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, emphasized the critical role of breastfeeding in ensuring newborn survival and development, describing breastfeeding as not just food, but a newborn’s first vaccine, first hug, and the first promise of survival.
Chihuwe lamented that despite the high rate of breastfeeding in Nigeria, with over 90% of mothers breastfeeding, their babies, challenges still persist, disclosing that in Benue State, only 47% of newborns are breastfed within the first hour of life, and only 56.7% of children are exclusively breastfed for six months, falling short of the national goal of 65% and the global target of 60% by 2025.
She said UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of Nigeria and partners, is calling for bold, coordinated action to support breastfeeding mothers, adding that this includes training health workers, investing in community health workers, ensuring six months of paid maternity leave, and creating breastfeeding-friendly workplaces.
In her remark, Executive Secretary, Benue State Primary HealthCare Board,Mrs Grace Wende, described children as investment to their parents and advised mothers to prioritize breastfeeding to children, the natural milk without water for at least one year.
She said if children are given breast milk without water,it will make the child grow,build the child’s intellectual capacity and strong, adding that the period of breastfeeding will also allow the mother an opportunity to take a critical look at the child to know whether such a child has other health challenges that would be attended to very early.
On his part the Chief Medical Director, Benue State University Teaching Hospital,Dr. Stephen Hwande, expressed appreciation to God for granting mothers the gift of children without miscarriages or suffering death in the process.
He also thanked the Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, for creating a friendly environment for delivery at the teaching hospital describing charges at the health institution as the cheapest.
He advised mothers not to be in a hurry to stop breastfeeding, describing the children as insurance cover to the parents during their old age as they would in turn support them insisting that breastfeeding is cheaper as well as makes the children more intelligent.
