Mandera marks World Breastfeeding Week with call to strengthen support systems

The community of Neboi ward in Mandera County converges to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week 2025 under the global theme “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems.”

The event, organised by Rural Community Development Agency (RACIDA), in collaboration with Concern Worldwide organization and the County Government of Mandera highlighted breastfeeding as a critical intervention in the fight against child malnutrition and a cornerstone of community resilience.

With support from the government of Ireland’s development cooperation programme dubbed Irish Aid funding, today's event has converged hundreds of mothers in the marginalised location of Neboi in Mandera East

Speaking during the event at Neboi Health Centre, the County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Health, Nathifa Ahmed underscored the role of breastfeeding in reducing child mortality and improving long-term health outcomes.

She reiterated the county government’s commitment to creating enabling environments for breastfeeding mothers.

“In Mandera, where we continue to see worrying malnutrition rates, breastfeeding is not only a traditional practice but a life-saving act. We must invest in systems that protect and empower mothers from the health facility to the household,” she said.

Findings from the SMART survey conducted in July 2024 reinforce this urgency. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate in Mandera stood at 20.6%, a slight improvement from 21.2% recorded in July 2023, but still well above the emergency threshold.

"The Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) rate declined to 3.2% from 4.1% the previous year. Stunting and underweight levels were reported at 15.5% and 19.7% respectively, signaling persistent nutritional challenges for children under five." Said the county's health department boss

The event aimed to raise awareness of breastfeeding as a low-cost, high-impact solution. The same SMART survey showed that 72.8% of children in Mandera are still being breastfed at two years, while 92.9% of infants aged 6–8 months had been introduced to appropriate complementary foods encouraging statistics that nonetheless demand sustained community engagement and support structures.

Mr. Ahmed Dagane, RACIDA’s Mandera Coordinator, spoke on the achievements of the HANAANO Project, which has reached more than 250,000 people through outreach campaigns, peer support groups, and localized nutrition messaging.

He said his organisation supports 37 mother-to-mother groups that reach out to all mothers in the county and link them to health facilities thus delivery at the hospital and breastfeeding children to six months.

“Through this initiative, we have trained 37 mothers, 100 health workers, 230 community health champions to promote exclusive breastfeeding and maternal nutrition. But we cannot stop here. Sustainable support systems especially in remote and vulnerable communities are also dear to us as essential to ensure every child has a healthy start,” said Dagane.

Representing the national government, Assistant County Commissioner Steven Komote encouraged families to view breastfeeding as a national investment in the country’s future.

“In times of crisis whether drought, conflict, or displacement breastfeeding remains one of the most dependable sources of nutrition and immunity. I urge fathers, elders, and the entire community to support breastfeeding mothers without hesitation,” he said.

Katra Hussein, a young mother of three children happily shared positive narratives on how exclusive breastfeeding helps nurturing the child

"Exclusive breastfeeding keeps the baby healthy and happy because I have seen it with my 21-day-old baby who's feeding on my breast milk. I would urge all my fellow mothers to practice it at least for the first six months, she said.

Health data from April to June 2025 shows that Mandera County recorded over 2,600 Severe Acute Malnutrition admissions and 5,300, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) admissions, highlighting the continued burden on health systems in the region.

Event organizers called for greater investment in breastfeeding-friendly environments, stronger enforcement of breastfeeding and milk substitute regulations, and the integration of maternal-child health in broader climate and resilience strategies.

The day concluded with a joint commitment by stakeholders to enhance support for breastfeeding recognizing it as a human right, a public health priority, and a pathway to a healthier, more resilient generation.