World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) will be celebrated in over 170 countries around the world. What started as an idea to commemorate the Innocenti Declaration has turned into an annual campaign organised for the past 24 years.
The week is launched internationally by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (Waba) and endorsed by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Locally, the Breastfeeding Association of T&T will celebrate during the month of August with activities in Trinidad and in Tobago.
A release said World Breastfeeding Week 2016 focuses on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Governments around the World have agreed to achieve by 2030. The SDGs build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and cover a range of issues on ecology, economy and equity.
World Breastfeeding Week 2016 marks a new start for citizens to work together and show how they can achieve sustainable development through the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.
The objective is to inform people about the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how their achievement can be facilitated by improved breastfeeding and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF).
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Activities in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 2016 include:
The annual Tobago Best Breastfed Baby Competitions, co-ordinated by the Breastfeeding Association, are already in progress and being held at Health Centres throughout the Island from mid-July until World Breastfeeding Week.
August 3
TIME: 11 am�2 pm
A Free WBW Breastfeeding Friends Open House at the Breastfeeding Centre in Curepe. Visitors are welcome to drop by at any time during the Open House to find out more about the importance of breastfeeding, get answers to questions and have an opportunity to share experiences, especially in connection with continuing to breastfeed when returning to work after maternity leave. Certified Breastfeeding Counsellors will be available for one-on-one sessions with pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. For info call 468-5412.
August 5
TIME: 7.30 am
Annual World Breastfeeding Week Walk and Breakfast, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, in Port-of-Spain. The walk will start at Rust Street, St Clair, proceed North on Maraval Road, around the Queen's Park Savannah and return to Rust Street. Breakfast will be served at 8 Rust Street, St Clair, for a contribution of $40.
For breakfast tickets call 628-8234, 468-5412 or 756-6942.
August 13
TIME: 7 am
Tobago's Annual World Breastfeeding Week Walk and Breakfast in Scarborough, in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly and the Tobago Regional Health Authority. The walk, led by the Tobago Boys' Brigade, will start at Old Market Square, Scarborough and proceed to The Esplanade, Milford Road, Lower Scarborough. Breakfast will be served for a contribution of $35. Following the breakfast there will be a prize giving ceremony, where winners of the Best Breastfed Baby Competitions will receive their prizes.
For breakfast tickets call 639-3318, 701-0130 or 708-2991.
�2 For further information on World Breastfeeding Week Activities, call Breastfeeding Association at
628-8234, 468-5412 or 756-6942.