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© UNICEF Jordan

Queen Rania Inaugurates Baby Friendly Hospital

(Amman-29 August 2007) – Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah declared Dr. Jamil Tutounji Hospital in Sahab a Baby Friendly Hospital on Wednesday and as part of ongoing activities marking World Breastfeeding Week.  This brings the number of Baby Friendly Hospitals in Jordan to six.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is an accreditation process that requires a hospital to reach specific standards related to the 10 Steps for   Successful Breastfeeding.   The Initiative is now implemented in 171 countries globally.  The 10 Steps, as embodied in the Initiative, include helping a mother to initiate breastfeeding within the first half hour of life. The steps also   including guiding mothers in how to breastfeed.

 “There is nothing more natural, nothing more instinctive, and nothing more effective than breast-feeding. Protecting her baby is a mother's first instinct and a mother's milk is the most powerful vaccine there is against infectious and non-infectious disease. That is why I am proud of UNICEF's efforts to raise awareness about the benefits of breast-feeding,” said Her Majesty  who is UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children. 

The theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week is based on encouraging   mothers to breastfeed the first  hour.  Early initiation and   breastfeeding exclusively for six months without any additional food or liquid can save more than one  million babies.

The Jordanian Ministry of Health and UNICEF Jordan have worked on upgrading the capacities of health professionals in several hospitals and centres to promote breastfeeding, in addition to organizing a series of awareness raising activities. These include activities at the governorate level where Mother and Child Health Centres are holding awareness sessions  on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

Research has shown that neonatal mortality is reduced by 22 per cent when children are breastfed within an hour of birth.  This is very relevant to Jordan since 70 per cent of infant deaths are attributed to neo-natal death, thus reducing the latter will help reduce infant deaths and help Jordan achieve its Millennium Development Goal 4 on child mortality.

“In Jordan, and according to the Demographic Health Survey for 2002, only 26.7  per cent  of women breastfeed their babies exclusively during the first six months after delivery,” notes Dr Hanan Najmi, Head of the Maternity and Breastfeeding Unit at the Ministry of Health.
Global breastfeeding goals at least 60 per cent   of infants below 6 months of age should be exclusively breastfed.   At least 70 per cent   of infants between 6-9 months should receive both breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding.

The Mother and Child Directorate at the Ministry of Health and in cooperation with UNICEF and WHO has promoted breastfeeding in Jordan to increase the number of breastfed babies. The Directorate has trained staff in most health centres and in some hospitals, and produced informative audiovisual material on breastfeeding. It has been promoting the work of support groups for breastfeeding at centres and local communities. Hospitals and health centres have also been empowered to support the Baby Friendly Hospitals Initiative.

UNICEF support for integrated, community-based health care includes the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and the agency works with partners, governments and communities to support national infant feeding legislation and  improve care  before and after birth.

© UNICEF Jordan

Television Documentaries : A Means For Adolescents To Express Themselves

Amman (25 June, 2007) – Continuing  a four year process of  supporting children to speak out  on issues of their concern through media , the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Jordan  graduated on Monday  adolescents who trained in the production of six television documentaries this year. Training was conducted by the Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre and partially funded by the   Swedish International   Development Agency. 
“No one understands young people’s concerns like us (adolescents). We need to show that children can and should be active participants in the debate on the issues affecting them and television is a powerful tool, “says Hala (14).
This training   is part of   UNICEF’s International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) activity   which  in Jordan has transcended from being a one day event into a process.  This process took different dimensions four years ago when children expressed their wish   to be trained in the planning and production of their own   programmes   in order to fully reflect their own perspectives, problems and needs. They consequently came up with the idea of filming their own mini-documentary in 2004 under the name “Sar Waktna” (Our Time Has Come). This initiative consequently developed into more films over the years. 
This year, and at the initiative of UNICEF Jordan, the Princess Basma Youth Research Centre provided these adolescents with more in-depth training. The result is six high quality   television documentaries about : traditions and culture, smoking, child labour, the relationship of boys and girls in society,  HIV/AIDS,  and other social concerns given the title  “Al Hak ‘Ala Meen?” (Whose Fault Is It?) .
The graduation was attended by member of the Friends of Jordanian Children advocacy group, decision makers from regional and local television stations.