UNICEF Advocates Exclusively Breastfeeding for Six Months
By Alex Uangbaoje, Akwanga
The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has advocated for exclusive breastfeeding, tasking mothers to breastfeed their new born babies for six months to aid their development and good health.
Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr Zakari Adam, said this known on Wednesday in Akwanga, during the six-days capacity building for 32 participants on Community Infant and Young Child Feeding Counseling package.
The six-days training was sponsored by UNICEF, in collaboration with Nasarawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency in which participants were selected from the Agency.
Dr. Zakari, added that the training was aimed at equipping nutritional health personnel with skills for effective healthcare service delivery.
He said that exclusive breast feeding is key to the development of the child,adding that it establishing early relationship between the mother, the family and the nation at large.
He explained that exclusive breast feeding was good for the health of the new born babies,hence the need for mothers to feed their children exclusively for six months of life.
“Exclusive breast feeding is something very important.God know how he is doing his things.
“Cow milk is intended for cow child and human milk is intended for their children, so human breast feeding is intended for children.
“It is critical to ensure that our children are fed exclusively on breast for six months in the interest of their heath, ” he said.
Adam also disclosed that the organisation has provided the Ready to Use Therapeutic Food(RUTF) to malnourished children in the state free of charge.
The Chief, noted that the gesture was to improve on the health status of the children.
He therefore, commend the health workers for being up and doing to ensure that the health and standard of living of children is improved.
Mr Taru Murindi and Chinwe Ezeife, UNICEF WASH and Nutritional specialists among others were also on ground during the training.
