SM supports breastfeeding campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Groups and individuals who believed in the value of breastfeeding recently showed their support for the first ever advocacy campaign “Run to save lives! Run for breastfeeding!” at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. The 5K run and 2K walk raised awareness and gathered advocates in promoting proper breastfeeding for children 0-6 months old. The first 1,000 days is the critical period for a child’s growth and development. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that infants should be breastfed from birth to 6 months of age and that complementary foods should be introduced at 6 months of age with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond. However, the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey results showed that only 34 percent of infants less than 6 months were exclusively breastfed and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding is only less than a month. The same survey also showed that infants less than 6 months were already given complementary foods. “This is the first time that we had a running campaign that focuses on breastfeeding. More than 1,000 participants who are advocates of breastfeeding joined this historic moment,” said Assistant Secretary Maria-Bernardita Flores, Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council. Flores added that “Breastfeeding is the best anti-poverty and anti-hunger strategy and that is why it’s important for mothers to breastfeed their children.”