L-R The Executive Director of Glisten International Academy Hajiya Samira Jibir, Chairperson of the Necas Network for Entrepreneurial Woman (NNEW) Abuja Chapter, Mrs Gertrude Bashorun and the Vice Chair,Mrs Vanessa Aladesunmi during the visit on Thursday.
By Victoria Onehi
The Chairperson of the Necas Network for Entrepreneurial Woman (NNEW) Abuja Chapter, Mrs Gertrude Bashorun,has urged employers of labour to provide a Creche/Lactation room for mothers to encourage them achieve the six months exclusive breastfeeding.
Bashorun stated this when she and her team paid a visit to the Executive Director of Glisten International Academy Hajiya Samira Jibir, in Abuja on Thursday.
“This is basically a sensitisation meeting. We are on a drive to engage with the private sector on maternal practices. There is a project that NNEW at the national level has been working on. It’s basically a project on encouraging the entrenchment of family-friendly policies in the private sector. For instance, it’s to help employers see the need to have a Creche to encourage more mothers to embrace the exclusive breastfeeding for six months.”
“Typically, the maternity rule is that you would have three months of maternity leave. So what happens is that most mothers, once they resume work, they are not able to keep up with exclusive breastfeeding because they have to be at work.They are separated from the baby for a long time.Hence,the need for organisations to either have a Creche in-house or a lactation room.So, at least the mother can come with the baby to work and then take time out as needed to breastfeed the baby.” She said.
Bashorun said NNEW recognise the importance of Exclusive Breastfeeding in the lives of children and in the long run for the society.”Breastfeeding keeps children healthy. It gives them better mental development, they are all around better adjusted. These are things that have been proven by research that children who are breastfed exclusively for the period of six months,tend to have better mental development and they are not sickly.” Bashorun said.
In her response,the Executive Director, Glisten International Academy, Hajiya Samira Jibir, thanked NNEW for the advocacy visit and encouraged them to partner with organisations to make the initiative a reality.
” I appreciate your advocacy that employers should have a Creche/lactation room for mothers.But then,I will like to say NNEW should partner with organisations to make it a reality. You can give them the idea but you need to support them and also ensure that they have good handlers who can nurture the children. Also,as a prototype,NNEW can have three of those Creche/ Lactation room as its CSR in some organisations.” She said.
