Alive and Thrive, an NGO, has called on journalists to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the health of children and mothers in their reportage.
The Project Director of the NGO, Mr Victor Ogbodo, said this during an Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) advocacy meeting with professional media organisations organised by FHI-360 and Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) on Thursday in Abuja.
Ogbodo, who was represented by the Technical Adviser, Mr Awalu Kawu, said media organisations should be the strongest advocate for exclusive breastfeeding to change some of the misconceptions.
“The most critical time for good nutrition is the first 1,000 days of a new born to grow and be productive, the medicine for the new born is the breast milk.
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“Breast milk provides all the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antibodies that children needs to grow and thrive in the first six months of life and continues to be pivotal point of diet up to age two,” he said.
Ogbodo said the country was able to reduce the rate HIV and AIDS in the country through advocacy and intervention, saying that exclusive breastfeeding can be attainable in the country if there was increase awareness.
The Technical Adviser on Policy and Advocacy, Mrs Toyin Gabriel, said Nigeria had the second highest stunting burden in world with 11 million stunted children and a prevalance of 32 per cent National Nutrition and Survey 2018.
She said exclusive breastfeeding had the potential to save more children’s lives than any other preventive intervention.
“Breast fed children have at least six times greater chance of survival in their early months than non-breast feed children an exclusively.
“Replacing breastmilk with another fluid can negatively impact an infant’s nutritional status, survival, growth and development,” Gabriel said.
The National President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, said with appropriate feeding practices in the early months and years of life were important to achieve optimal health outcomes, intellectual and social development.
She said even after complementary foods had been introduced, breastfeeding remains a critical source of nutrients for the young infant and child.
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Omowole said the media had an important role to play in ensuring the issues related to infant and young child feeding is brought to the front burner.
The National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Chris Isiguzo, said there was need to effectively empower the capacity of journalists on exclusive breastfeeding inorder to enlighten the public on the benefits.
The representative of the Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Mr Eddie Emessuri, said there was need to involve relevant stakeholders on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, adding that there should be consistency in advocacy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alive and Thrive is funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by FHI-360,
The organisation is an initiative to save lives, prevent illnesses and ensure healthy growth and development in infants feeding practices. (NAN)