This year’s celebration of National Breastfeeding Week will be observed under the theme, “Breastfeeding and Work- Let’s Make it Work” which is aiming to galvanize support from all sectors to enable women to work and breastfeed.

The weeklong activities will commence on Sunday, September 20 with a church service at the Mineral Heights Church of Christ in May Pen followed by the national launch on Monday, September 21 on the grounds of the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church at 8: 30 a.m. The launch will kick start with a march through the town of Mandeville followed by the opening ceremony, displays and demonstrations and a concert.

The celebration will run until September 26 and will also include a Symposium and Forum galvanizing support from employers and employees at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on Wednesday, September 23. Other activities include workplace breastfeeding sensitization sessions in the parishes of Clarendon and St. Elizabeth.

Among the objectives of the celebration are galvanizing the support of all sectors to facilitate women to work and breastfeed, promoting actions by employers to become baby and mother friendly and facilitating and showcasing supportive practices that allow women working in the informal sector to breastfeed.

Other objectives include raising awareness of the need to strengthen national legislation and implementation and engaging groups such as trade unions, women’s groups and youth groups to protect the breastfeeding rights of women in the workplace.