Morocco’s health ministry opens 16th national breastfeeding campaign

Morocco’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection is running the sixteenth national campaign to promote breastfeeding until 20 November, together with the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), the ministry said in a statement reported by the MAP news agency on Wednesday, 21 October.

The campaign began on Tuesday, 20 October, under a slogan that translates as “Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life is enough”, a direct message to mothers that infants need nothing but breast milk before the age of six months.

According to the statement, the drive follows royal guidance that makes investment in human capital from early childhood a national priority. It also forms part of the national communication strategy for social and behavioural change, which focuses on nutrition during a child’s first 1,000 days.

The action plan combines awareness sessions for mothers and their families with the mobilisation of health workers, community outreach staff and local media. The ministry also intends to strengthen the Baby-Friendly Hospital initiative and to enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

The statement recalls the World Health Organization’s recommendations: a first feed within an hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, and continued breastfeeding alongside complementary foods until the age of two or beyond. The WHO’s global target is a 70 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate by 2030.

The ministry describes breastfeeding as one of the most effective ways to prevent malnutrition and chronic disease, and as a foundation for a child’s physical, cognitive and emotional development. It expects the campaign to lift public health indicators as a result.