Just as the Department of Health is trying to promote breastfeeding, food giant Nestlé, makers of powdered baby milk, is forging links with the Government.

By Jane Merrick

Sunday, 11 May 2008

Efforts to encourage more women to breastfeed are being threatened by “aggressive” lobbying directed at the Government by the baby milk manufacturing industry, campaigners warned yesterday.

The powdered milk manufacturer Nestlé has forged formal links with the Department of Health and took a ministerial aide on an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa, The Independent on Sunday has discovered.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Women who breastfeed their babies longer are less likely to get rheumatoid arthritis, Swedish researchers said on Tuesday.

Mothers who breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to get the painful joint condition as women who never breastfed, said Mitra Pikwer and colleagues at the Malmo University Hospital in Sweden, who led the study.

“Although it is difficult to separate the effect of breast feeding from that of childbirth, our data suggest that rheumatoid arthritis is inversely associated with long-term breastfeeding, rather than with the number of children born,” they said.

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All posts are located in Mbabane, Swaziland with possible relocation to Nairobi, Kenya or Pretoria/Johannesburg, South Africa. Further information on vacancies can be obtained from the IBFAN Africa Regional Office. More details in this page.

1. Regional Coordinator

Grade: R4
Level: Chief Executive
Duration: Contract of 3 years; renewable once

2. Programme Manager

Grade: R3
Level: Departmental head
Duration: Contract of 3 years; renewable once

3. Programme Officer — Lusophone

Grade: R2
Level: Mid-level Management
Duration: Contract of 3 years; renewable

4. Resources Mobilisation Officer

Grade: R2
Level: Mid-level Management
Duration: Contract of 3 years; renewable once

5. Information Officer

Grade: L5/R1
Level: Mid-level Management
Duration: Contract of 3 years; renewable

6. Programme Manager

Grade: Consultant
Level: Temporary Position/Consultant
Duration: Fixed term

Vacancy Contracts: IBFAN Africa is an equal opportunity employer. The employment is on a contract of three years, renewable, based on output and availability of funds. Senior posts are limited to 6 years.

Regional Coordinator Applications: Application letter with CV for post of Regional Coordinator to be e-mailed to Armanda Gani at armandag@realnet.co.sz

All Other Applications: Application letter with CV to be sent to ibfanswd@realnet.co.sz

Closing Date for all Applications: 15 May 2008

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Beautiful african mothers are in some of the 12 winning pictures from the WABA contest, for the 2008 World Breastfeeding Week.

Click here to see all of them.

Photo: JOSEPHINE NALUGO, Support for proper attachment is key (WABA)

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The theme for this year’s WBW in deference to the 2008 Olympics is “Mother Support : Going for the Gold”.

The objectives are:

• To expand awareness of the need for and the value of providing support to a breastfeeding mother.
• To disseminate updated information about support for breastfeeding mothers.
• To create optimal conditions for the provision of mother support in all circles of support.

Materials have already been distributed from the IBFAN Africa Regional Office to national groups.

• Click here to download the 2008 WBW Action folder (English)
• Click here to download the 2008 WBW Calendar in English
• Click here to download the 2008 WBW Calendar in French

Please contact the office for further information or visit the WABA web-site www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org for updates.

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The annual London Summer Course, “Breastfeeding: Practice and Policy Certificate Course” is being held from the 9th to 27th June 2008.

The revised three-week masters-level certificate course provides an up-to-date scientific, technical and practical training. It covers all aspects of breastfeeding, from birth to two years and beyond, including policy and programme implementation.

More information can be found at: www.waba.org.my

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Approximately 70 women health professionals from Africa and Asia will be selected to attend the 13th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ISID) through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Conference takes place June 19 to 22, 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Further information about the Congress can be found from relevant links on www.isid.org.

The Congress will provide an opportunity for about 3,000 participants from more than 100 countries to present and discuss recent and relevant information.

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Call for Abstracts for the Biennial ECSACON Scientific Conference to be Held in Zimbabwe in August, 2008.

More information about date and venue will be communicated at a later date. Information will be posted on the website www.crhcs.or.tz.

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Mozambique’s National Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes was enacted in October 2007 but there is a lack of awareness among the public and key stakeholders about the content and interpretation of the law.

IBFAN Africa therefore provided technical support and funding for a training-of-trainers of the National Code in conjunction with Mozambique’s Ministry of Health and IBFAN Mozambique Network.

Thirty participants attended the course which aimed to build capacity for implementation and monitoring of the National Code. Participants also undertook practical monitoring exercises and found several violations, mainly on labeling and point-of-sale advertising.

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IBFAN Africa recently funded a capacity-building training for community-group counsellors in Guinea-Bissau.

The training aimed to strengthen counselling skills on IYCF in the context of HIV and the 15 participants were selected from nine of the 21 islands that make up Guinea-Bissau. Participants were community workers including religious leaders.

The training was also used as an opportunity to conduct advocacy and awareness activities including inviting prominent policy/decision makers and community leaders to the opening and closing ceremonies. Radio programmes were also broadcast to raise awareness of issues surrounding IYCF, breastfeeding and HIV and the care of infant and young children.

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