World Breast feeding Week commence today

The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) began from today with the main objective to create awareness among the people for beneficial of breast feeding.

This year The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network which believe breastfeeding is the right of all children and mothers, celebrates the week for global action to support women to combine breastfeeding and work with the theme 'Breastfeeding and Work: Let's Make It Work!'.

According to WABA, whether a woman is working in the formal, non-formal or home setting, she needs to feel sufficiently empowered to claim the right to breastfeed on behalf of her baby.

The week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, wished all successes of the week and hoped that the initiative would help build a healthy and intelligent society.

They believe that there is no alternative to breastfeeding for the normal growth of children as it contains essential nutrition for the infant which increase resistance power.

"After observing the week in the country, the situation has been developed a lot, people are now more conscience to feed their infant," Chairman, Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation Dr S K Roy told the national news agency.

"There is no alternative to observe the Week to increase the awareness on breastfeeding among people," he said.

Regarding the 'breast feeding corner' in every office, he suggested the non government organization would be more careful on the issue as in almost government organization they have it.

Different organisations chalked out various programmes to observe the week.

The programmes included seminar, rally and health campaigns. Newspapers publishing special articles while televisions and radio airing programmes highlighting the significance of the Brest feeding day.

To mark the day, Health and Family Planning Minister Mohammad Nasim will inaugurate a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Sunday while other senior officials and experts will attend the function.