Family Digest 43: World Breastfeeding Week by Lois Law

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is observed every year in over 120 countries from 1st to 7th
August. It is the greatest outreach vehicle for the breastfeeding movement and seeks to generate
awareness among new parents and to enhance the health of infants worldwide. The awareness
programme was initiated in August 1990 by governments as well as specialised United Nations
agencies, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s
Emergency Fund (UNICEF), to encourage breastfeeding and in so doing improve the health of
mothers and babies. World Breastfeeding Week is marked each year with a particular theme. This
year’s theme is “Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility”.1 The focus is on how breastfeeding
contributes to the survival, health and wellbeing of all and why it is imperative to protect
breastfeeding worldwide.  Family Digest 43 World Breastfeeding Week by Lois Law