World Breastfeeding Week: WBW around the World 03

WBW 2009 Virtual Breastfeeding Shield Event Pledge

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The World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is the greatest outreach vehicle for the breastfeeding movement, being celebrated in over 120 countries. Officially it is celebrated from 1-7 August. However, groups may choose other dates to make it a more successful event in their countries.

Sharing your wonderful work will show linkage and solidarity with the global WBW campaign. Send your reports, materials you have produced, photos and we will create a webpage for you which you can use to further promote your WBW activities to wbw@waba.org.my

SPONSORSHIP: We do not accept sponsorship of any kind from companies producing breastmilk substitutes, related equipment and complementary foods. We encourage all participants of World Breastfeeding Week to respect and follow this ethical stance.

World Breastfeeding Week 2009 • 1-7 August 2009

WBW around the World

Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week in Serbia in 2009

Serbian Parents Network (Udruzenje RODITELJ) was established at the beginning of February 2006 after the initiative of a dozen young parents faced with numerous issues of parenting and upbringing. Some of the first problems that we, as young parents, encountered were closely related to the breastfeeding. Confusing and non-consistent medical professional`s advices and their recommendations of the formula, lack of support for breastfeeding mothers - from the professionals as well as from the nearest surrounding/ relatives and family, lack of the mother-baby friendly facilities, as well as the prejudice related to the breastfeeding in public and extended breastfeeding, are only some of the problems that the young parents in Serbia are constantly coming across.

In the summer of 2006 we organized the first public celebration of the WBW. For the first time ever in Serbia we gathered nursing mothers and babies, medical professionals and the media with the goal to promote natural way of feeding, support breastfeeding mothers and confront the prejudices related to breastfeeding.

Since that time we are continuously promoting breastfeeding as the best and healthiest source of food for a newborn. We provide peer to peer support to the new mothers over our web portal (answering questions, publishing the relevant articles and materials), and within our peer support group which is organized once a week , where we are addressing vast amount of problems that parents in Serbia are facing. We cooperate with the local medical professionals, institutions of local government and international organizations, and different institutions for health care and prevention.

Every year, we are celebrating the World Breastfeeding Week in August by gathering nursing mothers and babies, as well as the medical professionals in the open public events in Belgrade - Serbia capital city and in the various other cities in Serbia. We also organize the promotional contests for the best breastfeeding photo. In Serbia the National Breastfeeding week is celebrated in October, since the August celebration is always held in Belgrade, some of our regional centers organize appropriate events and lectures in October, as well as their own promotional activities and contest in their local communities.

Celebration of the WBW
This year the Serbian Parents Network will participate in the celebration of the World Breastfeeding Week for the fourth time and public events wil be held in Belgrade and Uzice in August and in Novi Sad in October.

Belgrade
Public event will take place in one of the central parks in Belgrade and thus supports the effort to promote the natural way of feeding.

In accordance with the WABA theme, this year`s event is dedicated to the role of breastfeeding in the emergency situations. We have prepared educational and information material to be distributed at the event, along with the translation of this year's WABA action folder and poster into Serbian language.

Visitors of the event are parents and parents-to-be who come from Belgrade and the surrounding places, but also from other towns (such as Šabac, Sremska Mitrovica, Ba?ka Palanka, Novi Sad, Stara Pazova, In?ija, Niš, Kragujevac....). Visitors are also various guests - experts who attend this event to give their support to the work of the Serbian Parents Association and to give advice and help on the spot to all the mothers who need it, as well as the representatives of relevant institutions and NGOs.

The event takes place this year with the patronage of the Ministry of Health, Secretariat of Health Care, Secretariat of Social and Children Welfare and Municipality Stari Grad as well as with the support of international organisations, and different institutions for health care and prevention.

Photo contest
The same as in the previous years, this year we have also organized the photo contest in order to select the best breastfeeding photo. Winner will be announced at the event on August 2rd and will receive rewards from the sponsors of the event.

Uzice
For the first time in the town of Uzice, the branch of the Serbian Parents Network organizes manifestation on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week 2009 o 1-7 August 2009.
Event will take place on the main square in the town, on August 6th, 2009 at 7 pm. Beside the accompanying materials, such as video projection of an educational movie about breastfeeding and photos of breastfeeding in the less developed countries and in emergency situations, there are going to be balloons, music, presents for parents who visit, pavilion of the organization…

Also, the healthcare professionals (pediatrician, gynecologist and midwife) will be there to give advice to present or future mothers and fathers, like an open-doors ordination.

The crown of the whole manifestation is going to be at the end - "PUZIJADA"- "BABY CRAWLING CONTEST" where the little children, who do not walk yet, will compete for very valuable prizes on the carpet paths on the square.

Novi Sad
Serbian Parents Network in Novi Sad will celebrate the National Breastfeeding week in October (1-7th October 2009) with the following activities:
1.Panel discussion about breastfeeding for mothers-to-be in cooperation with the Health Center of Novi Sad
2. Photo contest and Breastfeeding photos Expo
3. Promotional Public Event - gathering of the nursing mothers and babies
4. Media Campaign

About us
Serbian Parents Association is a non-profit, nongovernmental, non-political organization founded with the aim of providing information and support to parents and parents-to-be in Serbia in all the domains related to parenting. Activities of the Serbian Parents Association are diverse - family planning, childcare, legal advice and advocacy, as well as humanitarian actions.

Our Vision
Society where all the parents and children freely exercise their rights, with complete, honest and effective support provided.

Our Mission
Mission of the Serbian Parents Network and the reason for its establishment and existence is support to and work on the creation of better circumstances for parenting, birth and upbringing in Serbia.
Web: www.roditelj.org
Email: info@roditelj.org
Phone: +381 64 3292 040

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide. WABA action is based on the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the Global Strategy for Infant & Young Child Feeding. Its core partners are IBFAN, LLLI, ILCA, Wellstart International and ABM. Find out more at the WABA.