This week the world is commemorating World Breastfeeding Week (WBW).
This is a global campaign which seeks to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding to women and their babies.
It is commemorated every year from August 1 to 7.
Driven by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), this year’s campaign focuses on working mothers.
WABA is a global network of organisations and individuals who believe in the importance of breastfeeding.
This year they are calling for an intensive universal action to support women to combine breastfeeding and work.
They encourage women to claim their rights to breastfeed while in the workplace, informal or formal.
This year’s theme which is centred on working women and breastfeeding is derived from the 1993 WBW campaign which was about the mother friendly workplace initiative.
The importance of this campaign is not only about promoting woman’s rights to breastfeed at work but it has nutritional and developmental benefits for babies.
The department of health in this country has embraced the campaign by encouraging everyone to provide a supportive environment for mothers to breastfeed.
Working mothers are protected by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act which gives them a right to 30 minutes of breastfeeding every day.
