The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Kaduna State Government, has launched a social and behaviour change initiative to promote optimal breastfeeding and nutrition practices during a child’s first 1,000 days of life.

The initiative was unveiled on Tuesday in Kaduna during the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week celebration, observed annually from August 1 to 7, with the theme “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.”

Speaking at the event, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Kaduna Field Office, Chinwe Ezeife, described the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday as a critical period for ensuring healthy growth and development.

She said the initiative was designed to encourage families and communities to adopt proven nutrition and breastfeeding practices that would improve child survival and long-term wellbeing.

According to her, this year’s theme underscores the need to reinforce interventions that have consistently delivered positive outcomes for mothers and children.

Ms Ezeife commended the Kaduna State government for introducing six months of paid maternity leave for eligible women, describing the policy as a major step toward supporting exclusive breastfeeding.

She, however, noted that supportive workplaces, families and communities remained essential to enable mothers to continue breastfeeding after resuming work.

The nutrition specialist urged mothers to initiate breastfeeding within one hour after delivery, practise exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months without water or other foods, and continue breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding until a child is at least two years old.

Also speaking, Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Umma Ahmed, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to improving maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition services across the 23 local government areas.

Ms Ahmed described breastfeeding as a vital investment in the future of children and the overall development of society, noting that well-nourished children were more likely to perform better academically and become productive adults.

She said the state would continue to strengthen infant and young child feeding programmes, expand baby-friendly health facilities, improve maternal nutrition services and build the capacity of health workers to provide quality breastfeeding support.

The commissioner also encouraged mothers to adopt recommended breastfeeding practices and called on fathers, employers, healthcare workers, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support breastfeeding-friendly environments.

She said collective action was necessary to improve child nutrition outcomes and ensure every child had the opportunity to achieve a healthy start in life. 

(NAN)