Algeria launches campaign to encourage breastfeeding

2008-11-16

The Algerian health ministry has undertaken a new campaign to inform parents about the benefits of breastfeeding. With fewer mothers nursing their children, health professionals grow concerned about the health risks of exclusive bottle-feeding.

By Hayam El Hadi for Magharebia in Algiers – 16/11/08

[www.sante.dz] The Algerian government hopes to raise awareness among parents about the importance of breastfeeding.

To counter a decline in breastfeeding in Algeria, the health ministry launched a major awareness-raising campaign targeting young mothers on Monday (November 10th) in Algiers. The programme's unveiling was timed to coincide with Algeria's November 5th-12th honouring of World Breastfeeding Week, a joint effort by the World Health Organisation and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action.

"Young mothers are too busy and overstressed, and this rush is often the reason why breast-feeding fails," said Professor Jamil Lebane, head of the neo-natal unit at Mustapha Pasha Teaching Hospital. "Mothers are discouraged and end up opting for industrially-produced milk."

Speaking at a conference Monday to announce the initiative, Lebane explained that the campaign is stressing not only the disease-prevention benefits to newborns but also the salutary effect of nursing on mothers.

Breastfeeding "diminishes the risk of certain cancers, protects against anaemia, prevents osteoporosis and works as a natural contraceptive," Lebane said.

The most recent study, conducted in 2006, surveyed some 6,000 women from several regions of Algeria and found that only 6.9% of them nurse exclusively for the first six months.

Alarmed by the rate at which breastfeeding is being abandoned, the health ministry has begun collaborating with the religious affairs department to raise awareness among parents in an unusual location: mosques.

Imams have been instructed to talk to worshippers about the virtues of breastfeeding during Friday prayers.

"Imams have given this news a warm welcome," Lebane noted. "They have spoken openly to worshippers."

Mohamed, a father of two, listened to the preaching on Friday. "I wasn't shocked by what the imam was saying," he said.

"The imam talked of the scientific aspect, the benefits of breastfeeding, and gave a reminder that the Qur'an clearly says it is best to breastfeed children for two years," he added.

During this campaign, midwives, doctors and nurses will target young parents to explain to them that children fed on breast milk are less exposed to disease and develop better.

Recent mother Meriem was certainly aware of this when her daughter was born a year ago. She says she was initially enthusiastic about nursing her baby.

"I kept it up for three months, but when I returned to work after my maternity leave, things became more complicated. I live a long way from my work and I couldn't go off every three hours to feed my baby," she told Magharebia.

"I don't know of any employer who would allow a woman to leave her work to go and breastfeed a child. I had to start using a bottle, and bit by bit, my milk dried up, as my daughter preferred the bottle to the breast," Meriem said with regret.

Aware of the problems facing working women, Family Minister Nouara Djafar has called for several measures to be introduced to protect the breastfeeding rights of working women. She would like the law to require companies employing more than 30 women to set aside special areas for nursing and for women to have what is called a "feeding hour", whereby mothers of infants would be permitted to arrive at work an hour later than their colleagues and leave an hour earlier.

These proposals have received a warm welcome from business leaders.

"Personally, I'd have no problem with setting an area aside for women to breastfeed, or letting them leave earlier," said Nacer, a young manager at a small company, "but I don't think it should be left up to business leaders."

"What's needed is a law to make them do it."