By Komba Fillie
As a way of climaxing the long week breastfeeding campaign in the country, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health engaged women, especially breastfeeding mothers, on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding on Friday August 7, 2026. Speaking at one of the outreach community events at Congo Market in Freetown, Senior Nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, Adama Goivoi, who is attached to the Kingharman Road Hospital, lauded the effort of the ministry and their UNICEF partners for the support.
She said out of series of communities they have visited to ensure women get the right information on exclusive breastfeeding, key messages include how to position your child for breastfeeding and that no one should give a child water or other supplements besides breast milk. She stated that exclusive breastfeeding is healthy for children and reduces the chances of sickness, and called on men to support their women during exclusive breastfeeding.
Giving her testimony at Congo Market, one of the suckling mothers, Haja Maria Seray, commended the team for their education. She said a good number of young women do not like to breastfeed their children, but with the message coming from government, they do the needful. Another mother, Kadija Koroma, said despite her engagement in the market, she believes in exclusive breastfeeding, noting that this is her seventh month of giving breast milk to her child and since then there has not been any complication and the child is always healthy. Other related testimonies were had from other women across the market depicting the need for exclusive breastfeeding.
