Uganda's Breastfeeding Rate Reaches 87 Percent

7 August 2024
Nile Post (Kampala)
By Kenneth Kazibwe
  • The Ministry of Health has said that Uganda's breastfeeding rate has increased by 21% since 2016, rising to 87%.

The ministry attributes this boost in breastfeeding rates to various health initiatives and educational campaigns designed to promote early and exclusive breastfeeding.

Samalie Namukose, the Assistant Commissioner of the Nutrition Division at the Ministry of Health, revealed that the percentage of babies receiving exclusive breastfeeding during the critical early months of life has increased. "Currently, we have 87% of babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life,"Namukose said.This announcement was made during a media engagement organized by the USAID Social and Behavior Change (SBC) project through the Obulamu initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, KCCA, and other partners.The engagement aimed to address knowledge gaps around nutrition and breastfeeding and identify challenges in reporting on these topics, in honor of world breastfeeding week, under the theme,"Closing the Gaps: Breastfeeding support for all."Namukose also noted that the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of their baby's life has increased."When we look at those who initiated on breastfeeding within the first hour of life, we have about 82% of these babies being initiated on breastfeeding."However, she noted that myths and misconceptions about breastfeeding within families have created significant gaps and hindered efforts to encourage mothers to focus on breastfeeding their babies. She urged people to actively debunk these myths."When it comes to families, there are some families still with some myth and misconceptions about breastfeeding. Like those mothers who say, 'if i express breast milk, it falls on the ground, the baby will die'. So this is a time when we debunk such myth and misconceptions."She also emphasized the need for the ministry to train health workers, equipping them with the expertise required to provide high-quality breastfeeding counseling to mothers accessing these services at healthcare facilities."We need to train as many health was health workers as possible to be able to provide the services that are required by these mothers."Namukose called on the media to take a leading role in raising awareness, ensuring that all mothers in the country are equipped with accurate information about breastfeeding."We want to ensure that mothers everywhere in the country get information about breastfeeding, even in the remotest part of this country." She saidCharles Musendwa, the Programs Implementing Manager at USAID Uganda noted that poor nutrition during the most crucial period for children's growth and development can cause irreversible damage to a child's brain.Musendwa urged mothers to prioritize breastfeeding, especially during this crucial period, emphasizing that the child's future is significantly influenced by breastfeeding.

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