Breastfeeding counselling at aganwadi centres soon
GREATER GOOD Counselling sessions were organised at 3,242 aganwadi centres in Alwar ALWAR:
More than 3,000 aganwadi workers will counsel 80,000 pregnant and lactating women about breastfeeding and its benefits during the World Breastfeeding Week (August 1 to 7) in Alwar.
Inaugurating events of the week, Alwar zila parishad’s chief executive officer Ansh Deep spoke about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for pregnant and lactating women. He emphasised the relation between under-nutrition and breastfeeding and how awareness on breastfeeding is important.
Counselling sessions were organised at all 3,242 aganwadi centres in the district on Friday.
Alwar’s Swasth Bharat Prerak (SBP) Gargi Kaul said various programmes will be organised through the week to focus on protection, promotion and support breastfeeding. Boosting the rates of breastfeeding is a critical intervention to improve the health, well-being and survival of children, she said.
Kaul elaborated on the events that include community and family sensitisation on breastfeeding, healthy baby show, quiz competition on breastfeeding involving women, mother and grandmothers. She highlighted the role of anganwadi helpers in spreading awareness about breastfeeding.
Kaul said SBPs have been deployed in each district by the ministry of women and child development to provide inputs on strategy, implementation, monitoring and reporting of POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Talking about the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for six months, a woman said her twomonth-old son was in good health because she was following the guidelines given by the aganwadi centre. “I will breastfeed my son for six months and start pulses and fruits after that,” she said.