World Breastfeeding Week 2019: "Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding"

Press Release

World Breastfeeding Week
By Project EMBRACE
Sandan District, Kampong Thom Province
August 20, 2019

On August 20, 2019, members of ADRA Cambodia’s EMBRACE team celebrated World Breastfeeding Week 2019 in Kleng Commune, Sandan district, Kampong Thom province. This year's World Breastfeeding Week slogan is “Empower Parents, Enable Breastfeeding.” Additional slogans were also present on the banners and produced T-shirts such as “I have breastfed my child, what about you?”; “We all support breastfeeding!”; “Breast milk is best medicine to protect children against various diseases!”; “Breastfeeding until the age of 6 months makes the baby smart and healthy!” They highlighted the best result from breastfeeding of mother to communities and key beneficiaries that EMBRACE project is targeting. The event was held in cooperation with the Provincial Health Department, Operational District of Health and the local authorities in Sandan district with total of 373 participants (241 females).

Key Objectives:

1.   Mothers need to start breastfeeding their babies immediately after delivery.

2.   To empower parents to encourage breastfeeding

3.   Provide single mother's milk to child during the first 6 months of life.

4.   Continue to breastfeed until at least 2 years of age and provide proper supplementation.

We were able to broadcast live on air via our project Radio program that was live at 10am to 11am from Kampong Thom Radio FM105.3 MHz in which we open questions for participants to ask guest speakers and chat related to the event. The special speakers presented were officials from the Provincial Health Department, Operational District of Health, Health center chief and midwives from Sandan district.

Mr. Roth Rumnea, a Senior Project Manager of the EMBRACE Project, said the program was designed to raise awareness among the community about breastfeeding and mother's milk only to their baby and to encourage all mothers to start breastfeeding immediately within the first hour after giving birth, which will provide her first milk. Exclusive breastfeeding should be practiced during the first six months and continue breastfeeding for at least 2 years of age with provision of appropriate supplementation.

Mr. Long Kisoeung, Sandan district Governor said that according to the 2014 Demographic and Health Survey report, the results show that in Cambodia, full breastfeeding practices of exclusive breastfeeding, the number has dropped from 73.5% in 2010 to 64.6% in 2014. Early breastfeeding onset within the first hour after delivery and continued breastfeeding up to 12 months was found to decline from 65.3% to 62.6% and decline from 83% to 80%. In addition, the provision of pre-defined supplementation increased significantly in both urban and rural areas between 2010 and 2014. He also added that "these drop rates is an urgent task to refine the practice of exclusively breastfeeding across the country." At the same time, there are many reasons for the decline in breastfeeding rates: migration, lack of knowledge about breastfeeding, cultural traditions, lack of support from family members and the widespread availability of products for sale of substitutes for breast milk (formula powder).  At the same time, he appealed to all mothers to take good care of breastfeeding to help the baby get the best start in life and help reduce illness.

Dr. Yim Phyvatho, deputy director of the Kampong Thom provincial Health Department, joyfully expressed his excitement and was happy for the community members in Kleng commune that could come together to celebrate this year 2019 World Breastfeeding Week for awareness and prevention of children health and their future. He also warned participants about the advertisement of dairy products such as Formula milk and pointed out that no other products are better than breast milk. Finally, he raised that the importance of breast milk is very important for the baby as there are a lots of benefits and enable children to avoid from many diseases.

Project EMBRACE (Enhancing Mother/Newborn/Child Health in Remote Areas through Health Care and Community Engagement), is being implemented by ADRA Cambodia. It is primarily funded by Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada department with support from ADRA Canada’s generous donors.

    

“I will definitely delivery my tenth baby at the Health Center!”

The end of last month, Sopheak, our project Monitoring & Evaluation for Learning Officer along with his partner from M’day Rik Reay Kone Rik Reay (MRKR) Veasna visited Morokot commune, Choam Ksant district in Preah Vihear province and met this family. They were able to sit and spend some times with the family asking about her life and family. Here is a short story of the woman they met:

The woman’s name is Mrs. SAMOEUN, married to a man who is a soldier at the border (a majority of the families living in the community are soldier families)! “I have had ten children including the one in my tummy because I’m now eight months pregnant.” SAMOEUN said. “But I now only have six children including the one in my tummy because my other 4 kids had passed away.” she mentioned when asked about her children’s names and their ages.  When asking about how they died, she told that she wasn’t sure. The babies were too young, but she said maybe because of the Measles. One of her kids who died was one month old. And there were no health centers nearby. She continued that she never got to deliver all her babies at the Health Centers. But for this tenth child, she is planning to go to the health center to deliver her baby to seek a better health care.

SAMOEUN has been participating with EMBRACE Project for about 12 months now! She has actively joined the Reflect Circle Group discussion meetings and has learned quite a lot of knowledge, especially about nutrition and pregnancy women care. She has visited a few times already to a health center and has been taking the iron tablet, eating good nutritious food to make herself and her child healthy, which she has learned through the group meeting. After joining with the project, she has hoped she would learn more and improve her family to be healthy. She is hopeful that her child would be born healthy!

“And I also wish ADRA and the supporters to be healthy and be successful in all they do” She thanked us

Story collected by: EMBRACE Project team (Sok Sopheak, Veasna_MRKR)

IEC materials: Volleyball uniform: Community awareness program and campaign

Volleyball uniform designed with key messages for community awareness program, specially targeting men and youth males on special health and nutritional needs of WRAs, pregnant and lac-tating women, and new-borns.

The message says:

Bal Teas Kone Chhn'eah (which mean Playing volleyball, your child will win)

For you (darling) and our child to be healthy,
you (darling) have to eat enough additional nutritious food every day!

IEC materials: Poster: One additional meal during pregnancy-RLU#3 & #4

Poster design for our Project EMBRACE community members to raise awareness about the importance of additional meal during pregnancy:

The message says:

For you (darling) and our child to be healthy,
you (darling) have to eat enough additional nutritious food every day

IEC materials: T-shirt: One additional meal during pregnancy-RLU#3

T-shirt design for our Project EMBRACE community members to raise awareness about the importance of additional meal during pregnancy:

The message says:

For you (darling) and our child to be healthy,
you (darling) have to eat enough additional nutritious food every day