World Breastfeeding Week: 1st – 7th August 2025

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival and yet currently, fewer than half of infants under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed worldwide.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated annually from 1^st August to 7^th August. This global campaign, organised by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), is aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, while also highlighting the importance of support for breastfeeding mothers. 

Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and baby:

Protection for babies against gastrointestinal infections.
Supplying a vital source of energy and nutrients – breast milk can provide more than half of a child’s energy needs between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and one third of energy needs between 12 and 24 months.
Research has shown that children and adolescents who were breast-fed as babies are less likely to become obese (cit.).
Longer durations of breast feeding have been found to reduce the risk of breast cancer in mothers (cit.).