Brief Summary
This video discusses Kenya's preparations for World Breastfeeding Week 2025, emphasizing the importance of breastfeeding as a public health intervention. It addresses declining breastfeeding rates and highlights government initiatives to promote and support breastfeeding, including enforcing the Breast Milk Substitutes Act, expanding baby-friendly initiatives, establishing human milk banks, and implementing supportive workplace policies. The video calls for collective action from various stakeholders to create enabling environments for breastfeeding and protect it from commercial interference.
- World Breastfeeding Week 2025 in Kenya: August 1-7, national launch on August 5 at Trongo University.
- Theme: Prioritize breastfeeding, create sustainable support systems.
- Declining breastfeeding rates: Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding have decreased, while bottle feeding has increased.
- Government initiatives: Enforcement of Breast Milk Substitutes Act, expansion of baby-friendly initiatives, establishment of human milk banks, and supportive workplace policies.
- Call to action: Support breastfeeding in homes, communities, and workplaces, and protect it from commercial interference.
World Breastfeeding Week 2025 Launch
From August 1st to 7th, 2025, Kenya will participate in World Breastfeeding Week, with the national launch scheduled for August 5th, 2025, at Trongo University, hosted by the Migori county government. The theme for the year is "Prioritize breastfeeding, create sustainable support systems," which emphasizes the need for collective efforts to establish inclusive and lasting support for breastfeeding in various settings, including homes, communities, health facilities, and workplaces.
Importance of Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is highlighted as a highly effective public health intervention. It provides all the necessary nutrients for infants in the first six months of life, strengthens their immunity and cognitive development, and reduces the risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases later in life. For mothers, breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Additionally, it is environmentally sustainable, requiring no packaging, fuel, or waste management.
Declining Breastfeeding Trends
The 2022 Kenya demographic and health survey revealed concerning trends: early initiation of breastfeeding has decreased from 62% in 2014 to 60% in 2022, and exclusive breastfeeding rates have declined from 61% to 60%. Simultaneously, bottle feeding has significantly increased from 22% to 34%. These trends necessitate immediate and coordinated actions to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding practices across the country.
Government Initiatives to Support Breastfeeding
The Ministry of Health is intensifying key interventions to address the declining breastfeeding rates. These include strengthening the enforcement of the Breast Milk Substitutes Act 2012, expanding the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and Baby Friendly Community Initiative (with over 1,500 community health units already involved), and establishing and scaling up human milk banks, such as the one at Pungwani Maternity Hospital.
Workplace Policies and Legal Provisions
The government is collaborating with other sectors to implement supportive work policies. According to the Health Act 2017, Section 71, all employers must establish lactation stations in the workplace, providing a clean and private space for breastfeeding or expressing milk, along with storage facilities. The act also mandates flexible nursing breaks for lactating employees without any loss of remuneration or benefits. Furthermore, the Employment Act provides for 90 days of paid maternity leave for female employees and 14 days of paid paternity leave for male employees. These legal provisions are crucial for enabling mothers to breastfeed successfully upon returning to work after maternity leave.
Call to Action for World Breastfeeding Week 2025
As preparations for World Breastfeeding Week 2025 are underway, an invitation is extended to all Kenyans, government agencies, development partners, civil society, employers, health workers, communities, and families to participate in this important campaign. The aim is to support mothers in breastfeeding by creating enabling environments in homes, communities, and workplaces. Breastfeeding should be promoted as a life-saving and climate-smart practice, and it must be protected from commercial interference and misinformation.
Breastfeeding as a Public Health Priority
Breastfeeding is emphasized not just as a personal choice but as a public health priority and a shared responsibility. By prioritizing breastfeeding and creating sustainable support systems, there is investment in children, safeguarding of the environment, and securing of a healthier future for the nation.
