Support Women In Giving Children Best Start In Life- NGO

Ismail Abdulaziz
Aug, Tue, 2025

Health

Support women in giving children best start in life- NGO

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By Nana Musa

Abuja, Aug. 5, 2025(NAN) The three-tiers of government have been urged to support women in ensuring that children are given the best start in life through adequate breast feeding.

Ms Mabel Ade, Executive Director, Adinya Arise Foundation (AAF), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ade spoke on the background of the celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW).

NAN reports that the WBW is an annual celebration which is held every year from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7 in more than 120 countries.

‘’This World Breastfeeding Week, let us rise in solidarity with mothers in Borno, Benue, and beyond, ensuring they are nourished, supported, and empowered to give their children the best start in life.

‘’Breastfeeding Week is more than a symbolic occasion, it is a powerful reminder of the foundational role that breastfeeding plays in shaping the health, development, and resilience of our children and their mothers.

‘’For Nigeria, where multiple humanitarian and socioeconomic crises converge, the act of breastfeeding has become both a survival strategy and a national development priority.

‘’Mothers who breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and continue alongside complementary feeding offer their children a solid head starts in life.

‘’Breastfeeding not only reduces the risk of childhood illness and malnutrition but also empowers the mother by naturally aiding birth spacing and allowing her body to heal,’’ she said.

Ade decried the UNICEF data that only 29 per cent of Nigerian infants are exclusively breastfed, adding the country holds the record of housing the highest number of malnourished children in the world.

She said this has led to a deeper crisis of widespread malnutrition of mothers, particularly among pregnant and lactating women in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.

‘’In Benue State, the population of IDPs has drastically increased in recent months due to intensified attacks on rural farming communities.

‘’Camps are overcrowded with pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under five, many of whom lack access to basic food supplies, health services, or safe shelter.

‘’These conditions are replicated in Borno State, where persistent conflict has displaced millions and left maternal health services overstretched or non-existent.’’

She added that mothers, who are malnourished, with HIV/AIDS, and living in IDP camps and remote villages should be empowered to breastfeed their children adequately.

‘’Poor nutrition in early childhood is linked to irreversible cognitive delays, poor academic performance, reduced economic productivity, and increased health care burdens.

‘’For mothers, the consequences include weakened immunity, higher maternal mortality, and socio-economic vulnerability.

‘’The failure to protect and promote breastfeeding, especially in emergency contexts like those in Borno and Benue states, erodes our collective investment in future generations.’’

She, however, said that the situation was still far from discouraging for Nigeria and Nigerians.

She called for priority attention to exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding in national and subnational nutrition and emergency response plans.

‘’Invest in food and micronutrient supplementation for pregnant and lactating mothers, especially in IDP camps and rural communities.

‘’Scale up implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and enforce breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies.

‘’Extend paid maternity leave to six months and support community-based breastfeeding counselling. Integrate Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) into humanitarian responses in Benue, Borno, and other affected states.’’

Ade called for the designing of HIV-sensitive infant feeding programmes to support mothers living with HIV in line with WHO and national guidelines.

She urged the three-tiers of government to develop a targeted outreach for rural women, displaced persons, adolescent mothers, and those with disabilities who face unique breastfeeding challenges.

‘’In a country where maternal and child survival remains a struggle, supporting breastfeeding is one of the most cost-effective strategies to build a healthier, more prosperous Nigeria,’’ Ade said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

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