World Breastfeeding Week: For Aminata Luse, Breast Milk Changed Her Child’s Story

Standing quietly outside her home in the Biaboko health district, Aminata Luse holds her baby in her arms after breastfeeding her. This simple act has now become a deeply held conviction for her. Yet her experience with her first two children had been very different.

A mother of three, Aminata remembers the many challenges she faced when she did not practise exclusive breastfeeding.

“With my first two children, I did not properly follow the advice on exclusive breastfeeding. They often fell ill, and I spent a lot of time in hospital,” she recalls.

When she became pregnant with her third child, her life took a different turn after she joined an Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) support group in the Biaboko health area, within the Luambo health zone.

Support from pregnancy onwards

Throughout her pregnancy, Aminata regularly attended sessions organised by the IYCF support group. There, she learnt about the importance of the first 1,000 days of life, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, and good practices to ensure optimal infant growth.

Discussions with the facilitators and other mothers helped her understand that, during the first six months of life, breast milk alone provides the most complete source of nutrition for a child.

Determined to put this advice into practice, she began exclusively breastfeeding her baby from birth.

A visible difference

A few months later, Aminata was pleased to see the results.

“Since my child was born, I have only returned to the hospital for vaccination sessions. I can see a big difference compared with my first two children,” she explains.

For this mother, the knowledge she gained through the support group has transformed the way she cares for her child.

“Today, I can testify that breast milk remains the only food a child needs until the age of six months.”

Thousands of sessions promoting good IYCF practices

Aminata’s experience is part of the Infant and Young Child Feeding activities implemented by World Vision with the support of KOICA and the World Food Programme in the Luiza and Luambo health zones.

To strengthen families’ knowledge of good infant feeding practices, the project has already conducted 205 awareness-raising sessions on the first 1,000 days of life, bringing together 4,125 men and women to discuss nutrition practices.

These activities enable pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and families to gain the knowledge they need to adopt practices that promote children’s health and nutrition.

A message to other mothers

On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week, Aminata encourages other women to follow the recommendations they receive through IYCF support groups.

“I encourage mothers to attend the awareness-raising sessions and exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months. Thanks to this, my child is growing well and remains healthy.”

In Biaboko, Aminata’s story demonstrates that accurate information, combined with regular support and follow-up, can bring lasting change to a mother’s life and help give every child a better start in life.