UN Children agency or UNICEF said mothers should be encouraged and supported by those around them to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months.
UNICEF’s Representative Yasmin Ali Haque in a statement said ‘breast milk is the cheapest and most effective life saver as the first baby’s immunization against diseases and provides the baby with all the required nutrients.’
She said most mothers in South Sudan do not breastfeed their children exclusively because of inadequate information on the importance of early breastfeeding.
Dr Haque added that mothers face inadequate support from families and communities, lack of counselling to new mothers and heavy work load that keeps them away from their children for many hours.
State Health Minister Emmanuel Baya encouraged families and communities to support the mothers to breastfeed their babies for their overall growth and survival.
The speakers were talking during the launch of breastfeeding week in Juba on Thursday.