Aims: | |
• Improve – through optimal feeding – the nutritional status, growth and development, health, and thus the survival of infants and young children. | |
• Create an environment that will enable mothers, families and other caregivers, to make – and implement – informed choices about optimal feeding practices. | |
Operational targets: | |
• Appoint a national breastfeeding committee and coordinator. | |
• Ensure all maternity facilities implement the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). | |
• Expand the BFHI to include clinics, health centres and paediatric wards. | |
• Uphold the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. | |
• Protect and enforce the breastfeeding rights of working women. | |
• Regular monitoring of feeding practices. | |
• Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a comprehensive IYCF policy. | |
• Protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. | |
• Promote timely, adequate, safe and appropriate complementary feeding. | |
• Provide guidance on IYCF in exceptionally difficult circumstances, e.g. natural catastrophes or in the setting of HIV. | |
• Ensure all those communicating with the general public, including educational and media authorities, provide accurate and complete information on IYCF. | |
• Ensure skilled counselling is provided to mothers by training health workers and revising pre-service curricula. | |
• Enable breastfeeding dyads to stay together during hospitalisation. | |
• Develop community-based IYCF support networks, e.g. mother-to-mother support groups. |