WBW 2012 Preparations Started

By Helen Ayamba, Email:helenayamba@yahoo.com
It's Time To Act After 10 Years Global Strategy And 20 Years WBW!
WABA has made known the theme for WBW 2012. In a release by the International Coordinator of the World Breastfeeding Week, Julianne Lim Abdullah, it was made lnow that 20 years ago, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) launched its first World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) campaign with the theme: "Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative" and so much has happened in these 20 years. During the celebration this year, we are taking a look back to understand what has happened and why. Breastfeeding promotion and protection activists are planning more activities to support all women to be able to optimally feed and care for of their infants and young children.

2012 WBW Objectives
1. To recall what has happened in the past 20 years on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF).
2. To celebrate successes and achievements nationally, regionally and globally and showcase national work at global level.
3. To assess the status of implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS).
4. To call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF.
5. To draw public attention on the state of policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF.

What is the Global Strategy?
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) jointly developed and launched the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS) in 2002 reaffirming the four Innocenti targets set in 1995, and setting additional targets. The GS has identified a clear need for optimal infant feeding practices in reducing malnutrition as well as poverty. It is based on a human rights approach and calls for the development of comprehensive national policies on infant and young child feeding. It provides guidance on how to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond, together with adequate, appropriate and indigenous complementary feeding starting from the age of six (6) months.

How and Why we should monitor status of implementation of the Global Strategy?
In 2004 – 2005, the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), that is one of WABA's core partners launched the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) , to track, assess and monitor the implementation of the Global Strategy. According to UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report 2011, 136.7 million babies are born worldwide and only 32.6 % of them are breastfed exclusively in the first six months. According to the WBTi assessment of 40 countries, most of the 40 countries do not have an effective IYCF policy with an adequate budget for implementation. To be able to increase breastfeeding rates, it is important to assess policies and programmes and take action accordingly.
To prepare the minds of breastfeeding promoters and supporters in Cameroon towards the celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week 2012, we have shall be looking through the policy declarations made during the mass event launching in the past years. The videos on camlink99 channel take us back to Yaoundé, Obala, Ebolowa and Douala, where advocates for breastfeeding shared their opinions during mass events, emphasising the best option to guarantee the survival of babies. For more information, visit the following web sites – www.waba.org.my,

2012 WBW Photography Contest

Each year, WABA organizes a World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) Photography Contest. World Breastfeeding Week 2012 Photography contest is open until 15 March 2012. Advocates seize the opportunity to feature their breastfeeding photos in the year's Action Folder! Ten winning photos are selected, and contributors whose photos are featured in the WBW Action Folders, Posters and Banners are awarded US$100 for each published photo.

What WABA is looking for in 2012?
Countries are expected to mobilize people and resources for a national evaluation and create an information bulletin. Many countries are already involved in the process of World Breastfeeding Trend Initiative ratings. It is time for Cameroon to organize its second evaluation this year and plan a strategy for behaviour change communication. Cameroon Link has been a strong advocate for the respect of the articles of the International Code, as a means of promoting child rights. Cameroon Link will this year champion activities in the Central African region through the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotions Associations, FECABPA. It has won the photo competition thrice. According to the president of FECABPA, a good photo can be taken if you understand issues related to breastfeeding. For more information visit the web site at www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org You can also send a mail to Julianna Lim Abdullah, IBCLC through the following address: Email: julianna.lim@waba.org.my

Nestle challenged over health claims

By James Achanyi-Fontem,
Coordinator, IBFAN Cameroon Group
Nestle has been challenged over health claims which tell mothers that its baby milk will 'protect' their babies. Nestle Annual Shareholder Meeting took place on 15th April 2010 at the Palais de Beaulieu, Lausanne, Switzerland.
According to Patti Rundall of Baby Milk Action UK, who attended the meeting, it was probably one of the most dramatic Shareholder meetings that she could remember - though the time that the Tom Butler, the Bishop of Leicester in 1993 challenged them comes a close second.
The brilliant Greenpeace stunt certainly lifted their spirits and caused a major headache to Nestle. It started with a horrendous drilling sound that almost blocked out Peter Brabeck's speech during the session. Pat Venditti of Greenpeace was sitting in front of Patti Rundall who tapped him and asked: "Is this Greenpeace?" and Pat answered, "Maybe". Then sawdust started to trickle down from the ceiling, thousands of leaflets followed by two absailers with huge banner. Fantastic!
As Greenpeace activists cut through the ceiling and absailed into Shareholder Meeting with huge banners and leaflets, Nestlé was held to account for its exploitation of rainforests, for its spying activities and for its failure to abide by baby food marketing standards adopted by the World Health Assembly.
Patti Rundall OBE, Policy Director at Baby Milk Action, picked up on the Chairman, Peter Brabeck's remarks that Nestle considers regulations to be much less important than principles and core values and appealed for shareholders to help in holding management to account for the harm it continues to cause to breastfeeding and infant health, contributing as it does to the needless death and suffering of babies around the world.
She highlighted the deception of the strategy that had been on display at the shareholder meeting the previous year: logos on formula labels claiming the product will 'protect' babies. It is undisputed that babies fed on formula are more likely to become sick than breastfed babies and, in conditions of poverty, more likely to die.
She also challenged Nestle's policy on sponsorship which targets mothers, health workers and children - for example, TV shows in Egypt, baby clubs in the Philippines, school education schemes in India, Health Conference Street banners in Cameroon, websites, medical seminars etc - schemes which are in many instances in violation of World Health Assembly Resolutions and national legislation.
Nestlé Chair, Mr. Peter Brabeck-Letmathé, said that because Ms. Rundall did not trust him, Paul Bulcke, CEO and Richard Laube, Head of Nestle Nutrition should respond in detail. Richard Laube defended the 'protect' logo and admitted the practice was being used in 120 countries on cereals and formula, showing it to be a global strategy. He indicated the marketing practice had been going on for some years and will continue, dismissing the suggestion that it was harmful or a violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. For more information, click on the following links - www.babymilkaction.org www.ibfan.org www.babyfeedinglawgroup.org.uk

UNFPA SUPPORTS CAMLINK CODE MONITORING

By James Achanyi-Fontem
Coordinator,IBFAN Cameroon
Authorities of the United Nation Fund for Population Activities, UNFPA, have drawn the attention of the Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon to the importance and place monitoring of the International Code on the marketing of breastmilk substitute in the regulation and promotion of child survival.
The information filtered from a working session organised by the Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda, on Thursday, 1oth December 2009 in Yaounde with the head of the communication service of the ministry and a senior journalist of Cameroon Tribune.
The UNFPA drew the attention of the minister to an article on activities organised by Cameroon Link (CAMLINK) following the training of trainers’ course by IBFAN Africa in Douala on the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative. The minister was informed that code monitoring was an alert system that keeps formula producers from health facilities, thereby giving the opportunity to breastfeeding mothers to remain attached to World Health Assembly regulations and recommendations by the World Health Organisation. Cameroon Tribune has earlier published a news investigation on company violations of the Cameroon national code issued as law on the 1st December 2005.
A formula production company during that period sponsored a workshop of paediatricians in Limbe and used the trade mark of Bledina to advertise the workshop in violation of articles of the international and national code on the promotion and marketing of breastmilk substitutes in the country.
The same company consolidated its violation with an advertorial in the Eden Newspaper of Wednesday, 9th December 9 – Monday, 14th December 2009. Cameroon Link had during the WBTi training called on the government to create a regulatory committee with the appointment of a national coordinator to check such lapses throughout the country.
In reaction to the flagrant violations world wide through scientific meetings and workshops, a UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative statement on formula company-funded study days was issued in the United Kingdom.
UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative had recently received several enquires regarding study days sponsored by formula milk industries. These days range from holding study days nutrition company institutes serving as bridges to reach health staff caring for babies within public and private.
The Baby Friendly Initiative requires that all health-care facilities seeking Baby Friendly accreditation adhere to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Information on formula milks provided to health professionals in order to allow them to support mothers who do not breastfeed, should be scientific, factual and free from promotion.
Health professionals are the ideal conduit for promoting formula milk. They engender public trust and respect and have easy access to virtually all new mothers and babies. The ‘halo effect’ of having mothers associate the company brand with a health professional is highly valued. However, for this to happen, the companies need access to those health professionals. As recently, and in the last 10 years before the publication of the code, company representatives had free access to many health-care premises and they induced health professionals to attend their talks with hospitality and free materials.
The Cameroon Code forbids any penetration of health facilities by company delegates to advertise their brand and donate materials or organise meetings. The companies have now opted the indirect version of sponsoring activities of health professionals in very attractive tourism facilities as an incentive.
With increased support for breastfeeding in the health services, health professionals have gradually become much more aware of the real purpose of this ‘generosity’ and its negative effect on breastfeeding and efforts to support informed choice. Subsequently, much of this easy access to health professionals still has to be stopped in countries like Cameroon.
Sponsored study days are a highly effective mechanism for circumventing workplace controls on access by company representatives and so gaining direct access to health professionals. The study days no longer directly focus on breast and bottle feeding, which would only arouse suspicion, but rather are specialist in nature, focusing on, for example, allergy or growth, thus reassuring prospective participants of their legitimacy. Participants are asked to register for the study day, so providing the company with contact details for future promotional opportunities. At the event itself there are opportunities for introductions, closing statements, odd lectures by company representatives and promotional materials that can be given to everyone who attends. The result of this is health professionals who are highly aware of the company’s brand and product, informed of the product’s key selling points, in possession of company materials and possibly well disposed to the company providing them with ‘free’ education. If any of this is then passed on to parents, the company’s outlay can be justified to shareholders as being designed to increase profits.
The Baby Friendly Initiative standards do not expressly prohibit health professionals’ attendance at formula company study days. However, attendance is strongly discouraged. Any health professional considering attending such a day should ask themselves whether attendance is really necessary for their education, whether it is compatible with their Code of Conduct and responsibilities to implement best practice and what effect their attendance could have on the families they serve. For more information visit the Code Monitoring page at http://cameroonlink.info