Breastfeeding is important to everyone
According to reports, breastfeeding for the first six months is particularly crucial right now as South Sudan is currently going through a nutrition crisis and malnutrition rates have continued to worsen. More than 300,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2022 which is the highest since 2013. The minister of health promises to have all babies breastfed well to keep them healthy and less susceptible to disease by extending importance of breastfeeding to into the community. “It is proven that breastmilk is the only food that babies need for the first six months of their life and it keeps them healthy and protected. The Ministry of Health will work with all partners to increase knowledge among all mothers in South Sudan to ensure that all babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives,” said Yolanda Awel Juach, Minister of Health. Recent data suggests that only 68 per cent of children in South Sudan are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of their life. This is a positive improvement from 2010 when rates were only 45 per cent, but this means that one in three children – are still not being exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Therefore, there is need for more breastfeeding campaigns and awareness in the community. For the babies, it protects them against infections and leads to growth and reports say that breastfed babies score higher on IQ tests. For the mother, breastfeeding can reduce the mother’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. To the father, his support can be the decisive factor in a woman’s breastfeeding success and he prides in it while to the community, it has economic and environmental benefits since it does not waste scarce resources or creates pollution.
Happy breastfeeding week women!