By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week comes to an end, Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) with support from UNICEF Field Office Bauchi have organise a Two Days media dialogue to promote awareness on importance of administering exclusive breastfeeding by lactating mothers.
In an opening remark shortly before the commencement of the meeting which held at Crest Hotel Jos, the Plateau State Capital, UNICEF Nutrition specialist Philomena Irene said the meeting is long over due considering the fact that since 2018 such dialogue with media practitioners had not taken place due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Irene said that Media practitioners are key drivers in community sensitization, education and mobilization, especially when it comes to behavioural change against negative practices among community members.
She said that as part of the 2022 WBW, media is strategically engaged to support the dissemination of key messages on exclusive breastfeeding and infant nutrition amid the Covid-19 era.
While giving a broad objective of the meeting, the nutrition specialist said the media dialogue will seek to strengthen the capacity of media practitioners towards child-focused reporting, using exclusive breastfeeding approach for enhanced infant nutrition.
“We also want to expose the media to a first hand situation of malnourished children with a view to having a better and evidence based reportage and to leverage on the media as an advocacy channel for positive policies towards exclusive breastfeeding and child nutrition”, said Irene.
Also speaking, the BRC/UNICEF Bauchi Field Office desk officer, Umar Muhammad Shira while welcoming the participants of the meeting informed them that it is expected that the participants will brainstorm with nutrition officers to develop positive messages for onward dissemination through various platforms.
Shira further said that at the end of the media dialogue, there will be reports that will help in rising exclusive breastfeeding practice among households.
The desk officer who sounded optimistic said, “ I am confident that at the end of our two days engagement with these crop of seasoned journalists, there will be news stories, programmes, features, documentaries, special reports and editorials/documentaries, all focused towards enhanced EBF”.
Our correspondent reports that the media dialogue attracted participants from Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau States. Apart from journalists, there were other key stakeholders among the participants that includes: Nutrition officers from the respective States, and UNICEF Nutrition Consultants. Also, part of the dialogue meeting will see the Journalists visiting fields to have a first hand information regarding EBF and Infant nutrition.