On 21^st October 2022, the National Child Development Agency in collaboration with its partners launched a one-month campaign on breastfeeding. This campaign is in line with the celebration with the World Breastfeeding week for 2022 where the global theme is “Step up for Breastfeeding - Educate and Support” contextualized into Kinyarwanda as “Twongere imbaraga mu konsa, twigisha kandi dushyigikira ababyeyi ngo bose uko bikwiye.”

The launch ceremony was organized at Kinyinya Health Centre in Gasabo District in City of Kigali where pregnant and lactating mother gathered together with Community Health Workers as well as health staff from the health centre including midwives and nurses joined by officials from the district.

The day was marked of IEC sessions on Antenatal Care, Maternal Infant and Young Children nutrition in deep, exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of a child as well as the complementary feeding up to years of age for children, commonly known as the 1000 days.

At the site, practical demonstration to the mothers were around immediate breastfeeding after birth, breastfeeding good positions that help to ensure the baby suckles well and help the mother to produce a good supply of breast milk, good attachment between the mother and the baby while breastfeeding, how to hand express and cup feed even when the mother is away from home for some hours, among others.

The message of the day as delivered by the Deputy Director General, Mr. Gilbert Munyemana: breast milk is very important for the babies, immediate breastfeeding after birth and exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months are very critical; also breastfeeding both day and nights on demand of the child is key.

            Using the MIYCN CC, the DDG Gilbert Munyemana explained what exclusive breasfeeding is

The DDG also mentioned the benefits of breastfeeding as breast milk is the best food to help the baby grow and develop as it contains all necessary nutrients in proper proportion. Breastfeeding increase also the attachment between babies and mothers, ensure protection of babies against some short- and long-term illnesses and diseases and baby’s good brain development.

Men were also sensitized to support their wives to breastfeed their babies for their good development and, combatting stunting and other forms of malnutrition and ensure a good foundation of their lives for their own future, their families’ as well as the future of the country’s development.

This activity was jointly organized by the National Child Development Agency, the District of Gasabo, UNICEF-Rwanda, and a USAID-Intrahealth founded project known as Ingobyi. The campaign will be extended across all districts.