By Aramide Oikelome, Lagos
Children have been described as precious gifts to every family. They are also referred to as the hope of a nation’s future. Unfortunately however, available records in African countries, particularly Nigeria point to the contrary. The reason, according to Save the Children International, is that very few Nigerian children enjoy exclusive breastfeeding, especially within the first six months of life.
Experts have advocated that colostrums, milk produced at the end of pregnancy, contains antibodies that protect infants from childhood illnesses like respiratory infections, diarrhea, bacteria, and viruses.
This knowledge, coupled with the staggering statistics of the country’s global rating on child and maternal death, recently compelled Save the Children International, ( a Non-governmental Organisation), in partnership with the Lagos State Government to seek to address diarrhea morbidity through a systematic campaign on breastfeeding as the world marked ‘World Breastfeeding Week’, an annual celebration observed throughout the first week of August to encourage breastfeeding and improve babies’ health.
At a well-attended forum last week to mark 2015 World Breastfeeding Day as declared by the United Nations Agency, World Health Organisation and the likes of nursing mothers, fathers, bachelors, spinsters, community leaders as well as traditional rulers and religious leaders in Somolu Local Government Area and Bariga Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, the Campaign and Mobilisation Coordinator, Save the Children International, Olukemi Adeyoju, said the organisation was in support of the call by the Lagos State Government to employers, management and co-workers “in terms of positive attitude towards motherhood and breastfeeding practice by women in the work setting.”
Commemorated annually from August 1-7, the theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week was “Women and work – Let’s make it work.”
Speaking at the occasion, Adeyoju, who called on state governments and private organisations to emulate Lagos State government’s 6-month maternity leave policy.
“We are here to support the message of the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Minister of Health, Dr. Modele Osunkiyesi, who stated that the promotion and successive exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life without any other additives requires the collective support of all including employers of labour, community and religious leaders, nursing fathers and mothers, family members and association for the breastfeeding mothers.”
Quoting a recent report by United Nation Children Fund, the coordinator noted with concern that “Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age,” adding that the mind-boggling statistics has made the country the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world.
The coordinator continued, “Although analyses of recent trends show that the country is making progress in cutting down infant and under-five mortality rates, the pace still remains too slow to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child mortality by a third by 2015.”
While the religious leaders and traditional rulers in attendance pleaded with the nursing mothers to take the health and safety of their babies seriously by ensuring that they exclusively breastfeed their infants, Adeyoju explained to the participants that breastfeeding had many health benefits for both the mothers and infant.
“Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs in the first six months of life. Breastfeeding protects against diarrhoea, and common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, and may also have longer-term health benefits for the mother and child, such as reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence,” she added.
In apparent reference to WHO, the coordinator explained that a child that was exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life would achieve optimal growth, development and health.
Regrettably, she submitted that Nigeria is the 9th worst place in the world to be a child.
“One in every eight children born today in Nigeria will not reach their fifth birthday – this means that 850,000 children under the age of five die every year. More than half these deaths are caused by the three main killers of children in the world: diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria.
“In Lagos State, the under-five mortality rate is 65/1,000 live births (lower than the South West regional average of 83/1,000) which is equivalent to 6 per cent of the total number of under-five deaths nationally.
“Save the Children International, in partnership with Lagos State Government and Reckitt-Benkiser, desires to address diarrhea morbidity and mortality through the scale up of evidence-based interventions and strategies in Shomolu LGA of Lagos State by implementing the recommendation of WHO/UNICEF seven-point plan for diarrhea control, with the overall goal of reducing morbidity in Lagos,” Adeyoju stated further.
She reiterated the readiness of the non-governmental organisation to scale up the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate child feeding practices.
The Somolu LGA Manager, Mr. Razak Amodu, who described breastfeeding as a form of immunisation, protection against diseases, advised the private sector to emulate the gesture of public sector to nursing mothers in the organisation.
He said, “The public sector has been in the forefront of giving mothers a period of holiday after child delivery. I think in that spirit, the private sector should also see the importance of that because in the long run, the society will benefit from it when babies are exclusively breastfed.”
“The 6-month policy drive of the state government has been very effective, and there are no two ways to it; we follow it to the letter. With what the Lagos State government is doing and with the facilities available at the public hospitals today, patronage has improved tremendously”, he added.
At the end of the event, many participants expressed gratitude to the Lagos State government and Save the Children International for the robust information and education the event brought to them, which also included counseling and teaching to nursing mothers and fathers on the process of proper breastfeeding.
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