An important focus of IOCC’s work in Lebanon is health—especially equipping mothers with the knowledge they need to give their young children a healthy start in life. In partnership with UNICEF, IOCC conducted awareness events for pregnant and lactating women throughout Lebanon during World Breastfeeding Week.
At one event, IOCC lactation specialists and community health educators engaged 50 women in interactive and educational games around breastfeeding, as well as some coaching, and shared the optimal approaches to feeding infants and young children.
Suzanne, 35, is the mother of a six-month-old baby, Charbel. She joined the event to learn the best ways to start introducing solid food, now that her son has reached the recommended age for complementary feeding. “I wanted to learn more about nutritious foods for infants from professionals and how to provide them to my baby in the right way so that he can develop healthily,” Suzanne said.
After the event, the women received take-home items including high-energy nuts, as a healthy snack for them, in addition to vitamins and mineral food supplements to add to their infants’ diet once they reach the six-month mark. Together, IOCC and UNICEF are working to ensure that babies in Lebanon get off to a strong, healthy start.
