World BreastFeeding Week
Breastfeeding, Fundament of life, welcome to the breastfeeding week of 2024
Background:
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
This day has been celebrated since 1992. In previous years, the slogan of this week was focused on a health structure, working women, advocacy for a breastfeeding-friendly environment in the workplace. Since 2016, breastfeeding has also been linked to sustainable development goals.
World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated in more than 120 countries around the world.
Slogan 2024
The theme for 2024 is Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all. The campaign will celebrate breastfeeding mums in all their diversity, throughout their breastfeeding journeys, while showcasing the ways families, societies, communities and health workers can have the back of every breastfeeding mum.
Legal provision of breastfeeding in Nepal
The Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Act: In 2018, Nepal enacted the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Act, which aims to promote and protect breastfeeding and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices. This act provides a legal framework to support breastfeeding mothers and ensures that appropriate information and support are available for mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding.
Maternity Leave: Nepal has provisions for maternity leave, which allows working mothers to have time off from their jobs to care for their newborns. The law entitles women to 52 weeks of maternity leave, with 14 weeks of paid leave and the remaining weeks as unpaid leave. This provision allows mothers to have the necessary time and support to breastfeed and care for their infants in the critical early months.
The National Health Policy: The National Health Policy of Nepal emphasizes the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary feeding up to two years or beyond. It aims to promote breastfeeding as a vital component of child health and nutrition.
World Breastfeeding Week: Nepal actively participates in World Breastfeeding Week, an annual global event celebrated during the first week of August. During this week, various awareness-raising activities and campaigns are organized to promote breastfeeding and its benefits.
Best wishes on this day.
Pradosh Vrata
Triodashi is called Pradosh. Like Ekadashi, Pradosh is important every month, Vishnu is remembered in Ekadashi, and Shiva is remembered in Pradosh. Pradosh begins 45 minutes before sunset and ends 45 minutes after sunset. It It is believed that those who fast today and praise Lord Shiva, will attain immense purity and boons.
Pradosha Katha
It is mentioned in the scriptures that Lord Shiva cured the disease of the moon on the day of Triodashi when the effect of the moon was diminishing.
Due to this, Pradosh Vrat is observed in the Triodashi every month in remembrance of Lord Shiva. It is more fruitful to worship Shiva in the time of Pradosh
-Suyog Dhakal
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