Objective:
- Build an enabling environment for breastfeeding through awareness generation activities, targeting pregnant and lactating mothers, family members and society in order to promote optimal breastfeeding practices as an important intervention for child survival and development.
- Revitalizing efforts towards promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding practices through health systems to achieve higher breastfeeding rates.Reinforclactation support services at public health facilities through trained healthcare providers and through skilled community health workers.
- To incentivize and recognize those health facilities that show high rates of breastfeeding along with processes in place for lactation management.
Key Components:
- Promotion of early initiation of breastfeeding and emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age through ASHA worker and health care provider at health facilities.
- Communication for enhanced awareness and demand generation through mass media and mid media.
- Implementation of breastfeeding policy for hospitals. Training and capacity enhancement of nurses at government institutions, and all ANMs and ASHAs. They will provide information and counselling support to mothers for breastfeeding;
- Community engagement by ASHAs for breastfeeding promotion, who will conduct mothers’ meetings. Breastfeeding mothers requiring more support will be referred to a health facility or the ANM sub-centre or the Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) organized every month at the village level;
- Celebration of World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) from 1st to 7th August every year across the country to increase engagement and create positive momentum for breastfeeding with diverse stakeholders. Recognition and team awards will be given to facilities showing good performance
- Establishment of comprehensive lactation management centres and lactation management units for ensuring availability of safe pasteurized donor human milk and expressed mother’s own breast milk suitable for feeding sick, preterm and low birth weight babies.
Target Beneficiaries:
Pregnant and lactating mothers, , Families Members and Community Members
