The World Health Organization will be celebrating its 20th Breastfeeding Week on August 1-7, 2012. This event is conducted yearly to recall what has happened in the past 20 years on infant and young child feeding (IYCF); celebrate successes and achievements nationally, regionally and globally and showcase national work at global level; assess the status of implementation of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS); call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF; and draw public attention on the state of policy and programmes on breastfeeding and IYCF.

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.¹

What is the Global Strategy?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) jointly developed and launched the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (GS) in 2002 reaffirming the four Innocenti targets set in 1995, and setting additional targets. The GS has identified a clear need for optimal infant feeding practices in reducing malnutrition as well as poverty. It is based on a human rights approach and calls for the development of comprehensive national policies on infant and young child feeding. It provides guidance on how to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for first six months, and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond together with adequate, appropriate and indigenous complementary feeding starting from the age of six months.¹

For its part, The Zamboanga Consortium for Health Research and Development (ZCHRD) through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) encourages health researchers to submit capsule proposals on Maternal and Child Health issues for possible funding under the Pfizer PEER Health Research Grant. A ceiling of 200,000 pesos will be given to accepted proposals. A series of FREE training on research proposal writing, and research ethics. Mentors will also be provided for beginning researchers.

Capsule proposals may be sent to the consortium for screening through Mr. Ricardo J. Apolinario III at Zamboanga Consortium for Health Research and Development, DOST IX Compound, Capt. F. Marcos St. cor. Gen Alvarez St., Pettit Barracks, Zamboanga City 7000 with telephone numbers Tel No. (062) 991-1024 || TeleFax (062) 992-1114 Website: region9.healthresearch.ph or E-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. || This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forms and templates are available for download at http://region9.healthresearch.ph/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=section&id=5:zchrd-research-proposal-guidelines

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¹World Breastfeeding Week Org., 20th World Breastfeeding Week Understanding the Past-Planning the Future Celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF's Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. 2012. Available at http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org/index.shtml [online] Accessed [July 31, 2012]