World Vision Ghana (WVG) as part of its health and nutrition project to reduce malnutrition in the country, has formed what it calls “mother-to-mother support group” to educate mothers on the best ways to breastfeed their babies.
Project officer for Health and Nutrition, Jennifer Judy Ayaam said the main role of the group was to assist women in their reproductive ages to come together and assist one another to enable them practice exclusive breast feeding.
The group comprises women from Nkwankwanua, Koforidua, Anumso and Yayaso all in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region.
A team from World Vision is on a five-day tour of the region to assess the impact of its health and nutrition projects and ways to improve them.
Madam Ayaam said World Vision Ghana (WVG) educates women on how to breastfeed their children exclusively as well as how to administer complementary foods to their babies.
She said the programme is in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service to sensitize women on how best they can feed their babies to avoid malnutrition which may result in stunted growth.
Madam Ayaam said members of the group would serve as trainer of trainees to sensitize other women by going house to house to educate other mothers.
“There are a lot of things that are new to first time mothers which the group should be able to address by offering advice,” she said.
Beyond breasts feeding, WVG also teaches the women how to make healthy baby foods from the locally grown foods in the communities.
A member of the group, Deborah Boateng in an interview with Daily Graphic said the formation of the group would correct wrong breasts feeding practices which hitherto were considered ‘normal.’
She expressed delight at her personal transformation and the insight to transform her community and expressed gratitude to World Vision Ghana (WVG) for the continuous improvement and development of local communities.
Source: Graphic online
