1. About Sinan 

SINAN is the national network of organisations involved in infant feeding & child nutrition issues. SINAN works closely with low-income factory women. It has chosen two factories to be model mother-friendly workplaces for neighbouring factories with plans to use these as future training vicinities. 

2. Day Care Facilities at a Factory in Swaziland  

SINAN initiated a day care centre at the Swaziland Fruit Canners, known as Swazican. The company deals with cultivation of such fruits as pineapple, oranges and grapefruits and also with processing and canning them. About 95 percent of the workforce is women, their ages ranging from 18 to 55 years. 

3. Aims and Objectives  

The SINAN project aimed to promote, protect & support breastfeeding by encouraging working mothers to exclusively breast feed infants for the first six months of life, & thereafter to continue to breast feed infants with the addition of appropriate weaning foods to the second year of life.  

4. Project Implementation  

SINAN approached the Swazican Personnel in August 1994 with a proposal to start a day care centre for its factory workers. It conducted a feasibility study with the aim of involving all the workers in order to determine the number of women employed by Swazican and the number of women in childbearing age. The study also sought to determine what the women thought about breastfeeding and working, and the problems they encountered. The study revealed that both men and women were happy to have a day care centre at their workplace, and that 59 per cent of the women workers breastfed their babies but had to introduce supplements at early ages of 1-2 months owing to limited maternity leave. The study also showed that workers were willing to contribute some money towards the maintenance of the Centre.  

5. Achievements  

SINAN, not only received a positive response from Swazican, but also its co-operation and help. The company provided the space and a structure, painted the walls and installed a sink. The company also paid the salaries of two staff members of the Child Care Centre. With a seed-grant from WABA, SINAN was able to build up the infrastructure necessary for the child care centre. It included the purchase of baby cots, refrigerator, oil heaters, electric kettle, steam iron and ironing board, chairs and tables, buckets and pails, plastic containers, carpets, linen and towels. 

The Centre is located within the factory compound. Within two minutes walk from the factory there is an Occupational Clinic with nurses who have been trained as breastfeeding counselors. The Centre formulated rules and regulations for admission of babies. The preferable age admission was initially 0-6 months, but owing to the enthusiasm and willingness of mothers to bring their babies to the workplace, the maximum age was increased to 10 months. Due to financial difficulties, only 20 babies could be admitted at one time though there was a demand for more admissions. Longer term plans involve holding several training sessions with more interested employers and providing technical support for the establishment of new mother-friendly workplaces. 

The Swazican Day Care Centre for working mothers was officially launched in September, 1995. Originally, the day care centre provided one baby minder for every six children. However, some problems with management arose, and they withdrew a baby minder. SINAN was then required to employ the baby minder in order to facilitate the smooth running of the centre. Unfortunately, SINAN could not afford to employ this minder and this compelled SINAN to find some other means to remedy the situation.  

In May, 1996 the Swazican Day Care Centre moved some equipment from Swazican Factory to Mahlangya Day Care Centre which caters entirely for market women and is managed by the women themselves while SINAN continues to monitor the project. Two baby minders have now been trained by SINAN to work at the centre. This second baby centre will operate as of January, 1998 by the Mothers Support Group for their community catering not only to working mothers but market mothers as well. 

There have been difficulties earlier due to shortage of human power as there was only one officer to implement all the activities. However, through the help of the breastfeeding counselors in the community. SINAN hopes to achieve its objectives of supporting, promoting and protecting the rights of breastfeeding mothers.