Adapting Nigeria’s National Breastfeeding Week

Following 25 years as Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Benin, Dr. Angela Okolo returned to her home community of Asaba, Nigeria to serve a pediatrician locally. She has also been involved in regional and national Pediatrics Society activities for over 20 years. When COVID-19 arrived in Nigeria, Dr. Okolo, working with her team of resident doctors in the Pediatrics Department, adapted both her clinical work and the various child health initiatives with which she was involved.

For example, programming in Nigeria for National Breastfeeding Week – held annually at the beginning of August – normally consisted of in-person events. Concerned that this would be impractical during the pandemic, Dr. Okolo discussed the problem with patients at her antenatal clinic. From conversations among the mothers, a plan emerged: engaging print, radio, and TV media to spread the message of good breastfeeding practices. A centerpiece of the campaign was a radio show – hosted by Dr. Okolo – let mothers call in to ask questions in their local languages about breastfeeding and childcare. The final event in the Week was a televised babies’ health competition where parents presented their babies at a clinic, with social distancing in place, and received prizes donated by community members.