Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa in MHANGURA
NO mother should walk the breastfeeding journey alone, First Lady and Health Ambassador Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said, urging fathers, families, employers and communities to rally behind mothers to give children a healthy start in life.
Addressing the belated World Breastfeeding Week 2026 National Commemoration at Mhangura Rural Hospital yesterday, Dr Mnangagwa said breastfeeding was not simply a mother’s responsibility, but a shared investment in the health and future of the nation.
Her address was delivered by Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora.
“To fathers and families: support the mother so that she can support the child,” she said.
The commemorations are running under the theme: “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.”
Dr Mnangagwa said babies did not understand working days, weekends or holidays, making sustained support for breastfeeding mothers essential.
“A baby does not understand whether it is Monday or Sunday, day or night, holiday or working day,” she said.
She encouraged mothers to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months before introducing appropriate and nutritious complementary foods, while continuing breastfeeding up to two years and beyond.
Breast milk, she said, provides essential nutrients and antibodies that strengthen babies’ developing immune systems and protect them against childhood illnesses.
Dr Mnangagwa also encouraged mothers living with HIV to breastfeed safely where recommended, provided they have effective antiretroviral treatment and appropriate clinical support.
However, she said misinformation, cultural misconceptions, inadequate family support and unfavourable workplace conditions continued to undermine breastfeeding.
“We must therefore ensure that no mother feels that she is walking this journey alone,” she said.
She called on employers to create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, while urging traditional and community leaders to use their influence to promote healthy practices.
Health workers, she said, should continue providing mothers with accurate information and counselling.
Government is strengthening breastfeeding support through the Baby Friendly and Baby and Mother Friendly Hospital initiatives, which promote early initiation within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding and counselling.
Community-based programmes involving Village Health Workers, Care Groups and mother-to-mother support groups are also taking breastfeeding messages closer to families.
The Government is further strengthening complementary feeding and regulating the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, including through Statutory Instrument 192 of 2024.
Dr Mnangagwa welcomed the Rerai Umntwana digital parenting application, which provides information on breastfeeding, nutrition, immunisation, child development and positive parenting.
Only 42pc exclusively breastfed.
UNICEF echoed the call for greater support for breastfeeding mothers, saying Zimbabwe still has significant gaps in optimal breastfeeding practices.
UNICEF Nutrition Specialist
Mrs Kudzai Mukudoka-Mudukuti said the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey 2023–2024 showed that only 42 percent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, while 67 percent of newborns are put to the breast within the first hour of life.
“Breastfeeding is not solely a mother’s responsibility, it is a shared responsibility of families, communities, health systems, employers and governments,” she said.
She said skilled counselling, supportive workplace policies, maternity protection and community encouragement increased the likelihood of mothers initiating breastfeeding early, breastfeeding exclusively for six months and continuing alongside complementary feeding.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Team Lead for Disease Prevention and Control Dr Trevor Kanyowa said the 42 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate remained well below the global target of 70 percent by 2030.
“Breastfeeding should not be viewed as the responsibility of mothers alone,” he said.
Dr Kanyowa called for breastfeeding counselling to be strengthened across antenatal, maternity and postnatal services, alongside community support, Baby-Friendly health services, workplace facilities and effective maternity protection.
He said different mothers faced different challenges, depending on whether they lived in rural areas, worked formally or informally, were adolescents or were caught up in emergencies.
“Our response must therefore ensure that no mother is left without the support she needs,” he said.
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo hailed Dr Mnangagwa for championing initiatives supporting women and children in the province.
Dr Mnangagwa said investment in mothers and children was an investment in Zimbabwe’s future.
“If we want a healthy Zimbabwe tomorrow, we must nurture healthy children today,” she said.
“When we support a mother, we support a child. When we support a child, we strengthen a family. And when we strengthen families, we strengthen the nation.”
She officially launched the belated World Breastfeeding Week 2026 National Commemorations.
