Sharjah: The Friends of Breastfeeding Association, one of the health support associations at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, honoured 40 mothers of different nationalities who have completed two full years of breastfeeding their children, during Mother’s Day celebrations that took place on Wednesday.
The mothers were honoured in recognition of their role in providing their children with nutrition and care. This celebration comes in line with Sharjah’s efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle for its population and to enhance its status as a child-friendly emirate.
The ceremony was attended by Eman Rashid Saif, director of the Health Promotion Department at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah; Dr Rokaya Fikri, deputy head of the Friends of Breastfeeding Association; and members of the administrative staff of the association. A number of volunteers, mothers and their children, representatives of the sponsors and supporters of the association, and representatives of the local media were also in attendance.
Eman Saif said: “This annual ceremony is part of the vision of Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, that aims to improve the physical and psychological health of children and mothers by increasing the rates of breastfeeding.”
Saif added, “By honouring mothers on this day, we aim to raise the level of awareness among members of the community on the importance and benefits of breast milk, and to ensure that healthy child-rearing starts with breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding include strengthening a child’s immune system, and that results in decreasing the chances of illness in children, which helps working mothers balance their work and family life, and allows them to continue to work and provide the peace of mind that is necessary to excel.”
After displaying a short film about the Year of Zayed, the association organised a panel discussion entitled ‘Breastfeeding between the past and the present’, with the participation of four mothers from different age groups — Gazala Hamam, Sana Basheer, Du’aa Ali Risan and Eman Al Zarouni. The four mothers discussed their experience with breastfeeding, which was the result of their desire to strengthen their children’s immunity.
