Scaling up breastfeeding can prevent
maternal deaths
annually
child deaths
annually
in economic losses
annually
Global status of breastfeeding
Optimal breastfeeding is vital to the lifelong good health and wellbeing of women and children.
WHO and UNICEF recommend:
- Early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth.
- Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.
- Continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond, with introduction of nutritionally adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months.
Breastfeeding & Sustainable Development
WABA has made links between breastfeeding and each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Discover WABA
WABA works at the international, regional, national and community levels
Take Action
Join our global campaigns
World Breastfeeding Week
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action on themes related to breastfeeding.
Warm Chain of Support for Breastfeeding
The Warm Chain campaign places the mother-baby dyad at the core and strives to link different actors by coordinating efforts at all levels to provide a continuum of care during the first 1000 days.
Empowering Parents Campaign
The Empowering Parents Campaign promotes gender equitable parental social protection that will facilitate the integration of parents’ productive and reproductive work in both formal and informal settings.
Be Empowered
Equip yourself with knowledge, skills and resources
Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) Course.
Develops participants’ knowledge and skills to support mothers and babies, and advocate for change to improve infant feeding practices.
Seed Grants Project
Provides financial incentives for existing or new projects that are aligned with our campaigns to link breastfeeding to sustainable development.
Technical Support
WABA is an alliance of individuals and organisations, we offer you access to knowledge and expertise of experts within the WABA alliance.
Get Involved
Get information & resources relevant to you
Academic
You can support breastfeeding by advocating through education, research and the dissemination of scientific evidence
Advocate
You can support breastfeeding by creating a wider pool of advocates who can bring about positive changes
Breastfeeding Support Group
You can support breastfeeding by focusing on women’s needs and rights before, during and after childbirth to promote optimal breastfeeding
Donor
You can support breastfeeding by investing in programmes and interventions that improve breastfeeding
Employer
You can support breastfeeding by making your workplace parent-friendly to increase productivity and retention, as well as lower healthcare costs
Environmentalist
You can support breastfeeding by making connections between human health and nature
Healthcare Provider
You can support breastfeeding by positively influencing the decisions parents make about breastfeeding and child health
Media
You can support breastfeeding by providing information that has the power to promote and support breastfeeding
Policymaker
You can support breastfeeding by recognising breastfeeding as a universal human right and investing in breastfeeding
Trade Unionist
You can support breastfeeding for workers by promoting gender equitable parental social protection
Woman
You can support breastfeeding by providing moral, social and practical support needed by breastfeeding mothers
Young Person
You can support breastfeeding by developing innovative approaches and using diverse mediums that can create an enabling environment for women to breastfeed
