Singhateh made these remarks recently during a workshop organised by Unicef at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, as part of activities marking the commemoration of the World Breastfeeding Week. According to her, the importance and benefits of breast milk to the child cannot be over-emphasised; noting that it creates a strong bond between the mother and the child through and provides babies with their first immunisation dose from infections and bacteria. This, she added prevents them from sicknesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoea, which account for 17% and 16% of child deaths globally.

She added that mother's milk is the most ideal food for the good growth and healthiness of a child. Unicef and partners, she indicated, promote exclusive breastfeeding in order to save 24, 000 children under-five that die every day mainly from preventable diseases. "Unicef prioritises breastfeeding and maternity protection and encourages all employers nationwide to support their female counterparts by putting in place policies that would allow them a sufficient maternity leave time to facilitate the continuation of breastfeeding when they return to work," Singhateh explained.

She added that job protection and non-discrimination are key aspects of maternity protection and must be considered by all employers. She reminded that The Gambia recently passed the Women's Bill into law, which according to her, calls for the allocation of 6 months' maternity leave to all working mothers. She urged companies and the private sectors to learn about the new law.

The Unicef communication specialist then assured the gathering of her agency's continuous support to the government of The Gambia and partners, to ensure that the necessary policies and mechanisms are in place to promote optimal breastfeeding as well as other health, social and economic issues for an accelerated child survival and development and the attainment of the MDGs.

Hamat Bah, deputy executive director of NaNA, said that breast milk plays an important role in the growth of the child saying that the aims of the workshop are to create awareness of the risk of artificial breastfeeding, to draw attention to the efficiency of breast to child and to enable mothers enjoy the bond between them and their children. He finally revealed that 45% of the Gambian populace practise exclusive breastfeeding.