News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 440

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

 G20 Summit: Make One Health a Reality   – Impakter

“The IHRs (2005) were adopted on a scientific and political consensus which is still valid today”

National focal points and implementation of the International Health Regulations

Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) Report: Annual General Meeting (AGM) 21 June 2021

Meeting Registration: Asia strategy meeting on public services and human rights – towards a global narrative Aug 5, 2021 09:00 AM in Brussels

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

GOVERNING PANDEMICS A one-stop shop tracking efforts to strengthen global pandemic governance

Opposing countries must stop filibustering negotiations on ‘TRIPS Waiver’ at WTO 

European Medicines Agency Approves Moderna’s COVID Vaccine for Children Ages 12-17

Access Advocates Urge 11th Hour WTO Action on COVID IP Waiver – COVAX Strikes World Bank Deal on Vaccine Finance

Vaccinating the world: ‘Team Europe’ to share more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines with low and middle-income countries by the end of 2021

Delta variant and common COVID symptoms are different – researchers report

CoronaVac vaccine: its results are patchy, but the world can’t ignore its usefulness

Vaccine hesitancy has risen in Ghana: a closer look at who’s worried

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance higher ‘in poor countries’

Venomous COVID-19: Ripping the Country of its Valuable Young Generation by Gertrude Masembe

Stepping Up to Meet Low-Income Countries’ Pandemic Recovery Needs

Meeting highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) 19-22 July 2021

Decolonizing Global Health: A Moment To Reflect On A Movement

Who Represents Whom? A Conversation on Decolonizing Humanitarian Governance

PPE is designed for men. Some health experts are hoping to change that

Fund Girls’ Education. Don’t Greenwash It

Five Ways That Education Systems Can Support Girls in the Face of Climate Change, Today

UN adopts first resolution on vision, aims to help 1 billion

Water Poverty: The Political Connection

State of the Right to Food and Nutrition Report 2021

Joint statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for the Pre-Summit of the UN Food Systems

Ending Hunger Requires $US40 Billion Annually & Major Reforms to Food Systems

Agriculture in the time of COVID-19

Extreme weather smashes records as scientists convene for UN climate talks

Delivering the European Green Deal

The climate cost of the new space race

Protecting Plants Will Protect People and the Planet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This blog draws attention to the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic to the lives of the young generation in Uganda. Due to lockdowns, many children have been forced to join the labor force to support their parents with income making continuity of their academic journey very challenging. School closures have also left the girls in a precarious position without support systems of the school staff and in some cases parents. As a result, they have spent more times with boys and men resulting into exploitation and engagement in risky behavior

By Gertrude Masembe

Executive Director at CINTA Foundation

Kampala, Uganda 

Venomous COVID-19

Ripping the Country of its Valuable Young Generation

 

COVID-19 is without a doubt one of the devastating pandemics of the 21^st century with 4,067,517 deaths recorded globally according to the world Health Organizations (WHO)statistics.[1]  Despite a number of interventions and massive funding into the health sector especially in the third world countries like Uganda, nations are failing to contain the new variants that come with a mutating virus. The pandemic has had devastating effects on all sectors and human lives but in this blog, I wish to draw attention to the devastating effects of this pandemic to the lives of the young generation.

In Uganda, the second wave has claimed more lives than the first despite readiness of health workers and initial equipping of health facilities. This left the government with no option but to impose a second 42 [i]day lockdown to minimize the spread. Unfortunately, these lockdown counter measures have left a fragile economy with escalating domestic violence, uncountable teenage pregnancies and loss of education years for the young generation.

Uganda has a very young population, with approximately 75% of the population being below the age of 30[2] and out of these 15million are still in school. The instituted lockdown will therefore have long term effects to the country since education is the main driver for moving people out of poverty with each year of schooling anticipated to raise average earnings by 11.3% for males and 14.5% for females (World Bank study, 2020).

So far almost two academic years have been lost, save for those students already found attending candidate classes. Due to lockdowns, many children have been forced to join the labor force to support their parents with income making continuity of their academic journey very challenging. School closures have also left the girls in a precarious position without support systems of the school staff and in some cases parents. As a result, they have spent more times with boys and men resulting into exploitation and engagement in risky behavior.

The impact of lockdowns to girls is visible through escalating number of teenage pregnancies, the highest in the past five years in the country. UNESCO report of June 2021 states that, in Uganda, between March 2020 and June 2021, there was a 22.5 per cent increase in pregnancy among girls aged 10-24 seeking first antenatal care from 80,653 to 98,810[3]. In Kitgum district alone 1,519 girls below 19 years attended their first antenatal visit and this number doesn’t cater for the many that opted to stay home.

The government made effort in trying to ensure continuity of education for learners by providing home schooling packages though exercise seemed ineffective. Many learners missed out and even some of those who received the materials had lots of difficulties in conceptualizing the content. The best option would have been online classes but this is far from being achieved, given minimal internet coverage with only 17% of the population covered by LTE/4G in the country, [4] high cost of internet packages and lack of access to technology gadgets like smart phones necessary for the learning process. This leaves the country in a gloomy picture unless robust systems are put in place to counter these effects.

It is therefore critical, that government balances the benefits of school closures against effects to the children’s future.  There is an urgent need by the Ministry of Education to come up with a sustainable and immediate plan to ensure education access to children because information available so far seems to suggest that COVID is here to stay.

 

---

Endnotes

[1] covid19.who.int

[2] Deanna Fanelli et al, 2020;Effect of COVID 19 on the education sector in Uganda

[3] Dr. Munir Safieldein, “Priotise re-opening of schools to secure children’s wellbeing” UNICEF Report, July (2021), OpEd

[4] Alison et al (2019);The state of ICT in Uganda.

 

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 439

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

Africa: Covid-19 Death Toll Nears 159,000 Across Continent

Africa’s Health Systems Under Intense Pressure as COVID-19 Deaths Increase by 43% in One Week

COVID’s Aftershocks: 1 in 5 Africans is undernourished

EMA starts evaluating the use of Kineret in adult COVID-19 patients at increased risk of severe respiratory failure

EMA starts rolling review of COVID-19 vaccine Vidprevtyn

Vaccines Delayed are Vaccines Denied

European Duplicity Undermines Anti-Pandemic Efforts

New EU travel regulation could exacerbate global COVID vaccine divide

On the arduous Covid-19 vaccination journey in the Kurdistan region of Iraq

BREVETTI SUI VACCINI COVID: UNA QUESTIONE DI (CATTIVA) REPUTAZIONE?

RESEARCH SHOWS MODERNA’S TRIPLE JACKPOT: SUBSIDIES, HIGH PRICES AND TAX AVOIDANCE

COVID-19: Girls and Women Take the Brunt

Three New Estimates of India’s All-Cause Excess Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic

India’s Covid excess death toll nearly 10 times higher than official estimates

COVID-19 boosted excess sale of antibiotics in India

The Breathing Catastrophe: COVID‑19 and Global Health Governance

Social protection in the time of COVID-19

Finally – Better Antiretroviral Drugs for Children with HIV

How COVID-19 changed the approach to HIV

HIV 40: inequalities fuel pandemics

Scaling Up Covid-19 Vaccination in Africa — Lessons from the HIV Pandemic

US FDA approves fexinidazole as the first all-oral treatment for sleeping sickness

Global Public Investment: a Transformation in International Cooperation

Local diagnostics to meet local health needs

2020 Annual MPP Report: A Decade of Making Medicines Accessible

Risk Factors, Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs, and Coping Among the Children Under the Care of Female Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls Surviving in Sex Work Settings: a Rapid Assessment by AWAC-Alliance of Women Advocating for Change

Decriminalizing Sex Work and Enhancing Equitable Access to Health, Justice and Social Protection by Female Sex Workers in Uganda by AWAC-Alliance of Women Advocating for Change

More action needed to address smallholder farmer challenges

From Policy To Practice: Connect The Dots Between Health Crises And Food Systems Transformation

Pandemic puts Brazil back on the world hunger map

Driving a green recovery in developing countries: what role is China playing?

Climate change: Amazon regions emit more carbon than they absorb

John Kerry: world leaders must step up to avoid worst impacts of climate crisis

 

 

 

Find here the second of a couple of not yet anywhere published documents by the Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) partner organization. AWAC is an umbrella network of grass root female sex worker led organizations in cutting across the 6 regions of Uganda. It was established in 2015 by female sex workers (FSWs) to advance health rights, human rights, socio-economic rights and social protection for FSWs and other marginalized women and girls including their children in Uganda. Geographical focus areas encompass: slum areas, islands, landing sites, transit routes, mining, quarrying, plantations, road construction sites and border areas in Uganda

Risk Factors, Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs, and Coping Among the Children Under the Care of Female Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls Surviving in Sex Work Settings: a Rapid Assessment

 

Download the study here

http://www.peah.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AWAC-Rapid-Assessment-ReportSubmitted-Children-under-the-care-of-female-sex-workers-and-adolescent-girls-surviving-in-sex-work-settings.pdf

 

PEAH is pleased to publish a study titled “Risk Factors, Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs, and Coping Among the Children Under the Care of Female Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls Surviving in Sex Work Settings: a Rapid Assessment” as a work by AWAC-Uganda not published anywhere before.

The study is grounded on reality that …children of female sex workers and adolescent girls surviving in sex work settings face unique risks including stigma and discrimination, exposure to sexual abuse and gender based violence. Numerous studies have documented the health problems of female sex workers; however, there has been no or limited research documenting the well-being of children of female sex workers and adolescent girls surviving in sex work settings. Most programs focus on supporting the female sex workers without special attention to their children who could be secondary targets. Another major gap identified is that these children and adolescents’ category are not documented among the classification of special needs of children.

On this background the study aimed at …identifying the risk factors, mental health, psychosocial needs and mechanisms of coping by children under the care of FSWs and adolescent girls surviving in sex work settings of Kampala, Gulu, Mbarara, Wakiso and Busia in Uganda.

 

—————————————————————————–

Brief History about AWAC

The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) is an umbrella network of grass-root female sex worker led-organizations in Uganda. Established in 2015 by the champions of the female sex worker movement to promote meaningful involvement and collective organizing of rural & peri-urban Female Sex Workers (FSWs) – including FSWs living with HIV/AIDS, using/injecting drugs, chidren of sex workers and adolescent girls & young women (AGYWs) operating in high risk areas. Such areas are; slum areas, landing sites, transit routes, mining, quarrying and boarder areas to strengthen a unified, vibrant, national, and sustainable FSW led movement Uganda.

AWAC is registered with the NGO Board under Reg. No. INDR140811523NB and was also granted her permit to operate countrywide as an NGO under File No. MIA/NB/2018/10/1523.

AWAC areas of implementation include; Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Busia, Tororo, Kabale, Isingiro, Kyotera, Masaka, Rakai, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Kasese, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Bundibugyo, Mbale, Jinja, Arua, Yumbe, Hoima, Gulu, Nakasongola, Kiryandongo, Masindi, of Kiryandongo, Lira, Arua, Kitgum, Pader, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Moroto, Soroti, Kotido, Nepak, Luwero, Kabongo, Napiripiti, Mityana, Buikwe, Iganga, Bugiri, Namayingo and Kalangala.

AWAC’s Vision statement: “A supportive policy and social environment that enables rural & peri-urban based grassroots FSWs to live free from human rights abuse in order to live healthy and productive lives in Uganda.”

AWAC’s Mission statement: “To strengthen a unified, vibrant, national, and sustainable female sex workers (FSWs) movement to advocate for an enabling environment and access to comprehensive sexual health rights, social and economic services for rural & peri-urban based grassroots FSWs in Uganda.”

AWAC’s Objectives: 1. To strengthen advocacy for improving access to universal health care services among female sex workers in Uganda 2. To expand advocacy and social mobilization for sex workers’ human rights and acceleration of sustainable development goals in Uganda 3. To strengthen the economic empowerment and resilience of female sex workers in Uganda 4. To strengthen feminist movement building of female sex workers to confront their own challenges in Uganda 5. To strengthen the institutional capacity of AWAC to effectively deliver her strategic plan and mandate in Uganda.

 

Find here the first of a couple of not yet anywhere published documents by the Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) partner organization. AWAC is an umbrella network of grass root female sex worker led organizations in cutting across the 6 regions of Uganda. It was established in 2015 by female sex workers (FSWs) to advance health rights, human rights, socio-economic rights and social protection for FSWs and other marginalized women and girls including their children in Uganda. Geographical focus areas encompass: slum areas, islands, landing sites, transit routes, mining, quarrying, plantations, road construction sites and border areas in Uganda

Decriminalizing Sex Work and Enhancing Equitable Access to Health, Justice and Social Protection by Female Sex Workers in Uganda

 

Download the document here

http://www.peah.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Advocacy-brief-on-Decriminalization-of-Sex-work-in-Uganda.pdf

 

PEAH is pleased to publish the Advocacy brief “Decriminalizing Sex Work and Enhancing Equitable Access to Health, Justice and Social Protection by Female Sex Workers in Uganda” as a work by AWAC-Uganda not published anywhere before.

An estimated 130,359 Female Sex workers (FSWs) in Uganda operate in a criminalized environment. This environment has not only compromised FSWs’ access to Health, Justice and Social Protection but also exposed them to a disproportionate burden of gender inequalities, HIV infection, stigma, discrimination and systemic exclusion, GBV, mental health problems and other life threatening challenges.

The advocacy brief presents how the laws which criminalize sex work push FSWs into the grip of abuse, systemic marginalization and compounding vulnerabilities and as such compromise equitable access to Health, Justice and Social Protection by FSWs by pushing in Uganda. This brief also highlights strategic asks in a call to decriminalize sex work and enhance equitable access to Health, Justice and Social Protection by Female sex workers in Uganda.

This advocacy brief seeks to amplify the call to decriminalize sex work and to enhance equitable access to health, justice and Social Protection by Female Sex workers in Uganda.

 

————————————————————————–

Brief History about AWAC

The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) is an umbrella network of grass-root female sex worker led-organizations in Uganda. Established in 2015 by the champions of the female sex worker movement to promote meaningful involvement and collective organizing of rural & peri-urban Female Sex Workers (FSWs) – including FSWs living with HIV/AIDS, using/injecting drugs, chidren of sex workers and adolescent girls & young women (AGYWs) operating in high risk areas. Such areas are; slum areas, landing sites, transit routes, mining, quarrying and boarder areas to strengthen a unified, vibrant, national, and sustainable FSW led movement Uganda.

AWAC is registered with the NGO Board under Reg. No. INDR140811523NB and was also granted her permit to operate countrywide as an NGO under File No. MIA/NB/2018/10/1523.

AWAC areas of implementation include; Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Busia, Tororo, Kabale, Isingiro, Kyotera, Masaka, Rakai, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Kasese, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Bundibugyo, Mbale, Jinja, Arua, Yumbe, Hoima, Gulu, Nakasongola, Kiryandongo, Masindi, of Kiryandongo, Lira, Arua, Kitgum, Pader, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Moroto, Soroti, Kotido, Nepak, Luwero, Kabongo, Napiripiti, Mityana, Buikwe, Iganga, Bugiri, Namayingo and Kalangala.

AWAC’s Vision statement: “A supportive policy and social environment that enables rural & peri-urban based grassroots FSWs to live free from human rights abuse in order to live healthy and productive lives in Uganda.”

AWAC’s Mission statement: “To strengthen a unified, vibrant, national, and sustainable female sex workers (FSWs) movement to advocate for an enabling environment and access to comprehensive sexual health rights, social and economic services for rural & peri-urban based grassroots FSWs in Uganda.”

AWAC’s Objectives: 1. To strengthen advocacy for improving access to universal health care services among female sex workers in Uganda 2. To expand advocacy and social mobilization for sex workers’ human rights and acceleration of sustainable development goals in Uganda 3. To strengthen the economic empowerment and resilience of female sex workers in Uganda 4. To strengthen feminist movement building of female sex workers to confront their own challenges in Uganda 5. To strengthen the institutional capacity of AWAC to effectively deliver her strategic plan and mandate in Uganda.

 

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 438

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

The politicisation of pharma and medicines’ policies in Europe

Annual Report 2020 of the Geneva Global Health Hub G2H2

A GLOBAL DEAL FOR OUR PANDEMIC AGE Report of the G20 High Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response www.pandemic-financing.org June 2021

Proposal for a WHO treaty on pandemics raises concerns

Beyond business as usual? TRIPS waiver and the struggle against COVID-19 pandemic

Pharma fears ‘slippery slope’ of COVID IP waiver

Advocate sharing of patents, know-how, and technology to maximize vaccine production

EMA and ECDC update on COVID-19

How effective are coronavirus vaccines against the Delta variant?

Comirnaty and Spikevax: possible link to very rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis

Leading COVID Vaccines Linked to Rare Side Effects

Canada donating AstraZeneca doses to other countries

UNICEF to Ship 220 Million Doses of J&J COVID-19 Vaccine to African Union

An African mRNA jab: The hub as a first step towards African vaccine independence

Vaccine manufacturing capacity in low- and middle-income countries

Vaccine Booster Shot Row Continues as Pfizer Trial Nears Conclusion

Public health challenges and opportunities after COVID-19

Apropos of COVID-19: Shall We Question Ourselves? by Francisco Becerra

Webinar registration: Africa Decolonizing Health Jul 21, 2021 01:00 PM in Nairobi

After Parliament vote, 0.7% UK aid target out of reach for years

Human Rights Reader 585: RELEGATING HUMAN RIGHTS TO OBLIVION: WHAT DO BUZZWORDS DO FOR DEVELOPMENT POLICY?

UN report: Pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger

Oxfam: 11 people die of hunger each minute around the globe

Decolonising global health: where are the Southern voices?

Decolonising global health: beyond ‘reformative’ roadmaps and towards decolonial thought

Cleft and nutrition: The double burden for Kenyan mothers

Barriers To Exclusive Breastfeeding In Western Kenya by Charity M’mbaga 

Forestry and carbon sinks: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t

Europe’s climate masterplan aims to slash emissions within a decade

Climate change is about greed. It’s time for big oil to pay us back

Webinar registration: Nature, climate and health leadership for a healthy and green recovery: Catalyzing an intergenerational response Jul 21, 2021 02:00 PM in Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...It seems to be that many ministries and secretariats of health forget about preparedness. We have seen, time and again, that every time there is a regional epidemiological problem, a health issue of significant proportions in some country, things must start from scratch to face it and control it. Preparedness plans -if any- are not quickly implemented, laboratory equipment or reagents, not ready, personal protection equipment not available, or too old to be used...

By Francisco Becerra

Public Health Policy

Washington, USA

Shall We Question Ourselves?

Apropos of COVID-19

 

The world has been hearing about the COVID-19 outbreak; then epidemic turned pandemic for over one year and a half. It is now a common topic in everyday conversation with friends, family, and acquaintances. Questions go from did you get sick to have you got your vaccine or which vaccine did you choose (when you have the option) or, which one did you get (when there is no choice but the one the government did get and is available). Large portions of the global population, on the other hand, will have to wait months to be vaccinated.

These questions, primarily by laypeople, will be part of our conversation. But one wonders what the questions politicians, health systems administrators, health officials are making themselves after the pandemic demonstrated most of the countries’ health systems to be fragile and collapse due to the overdemand of health care and the complexity to treat the SARS-CoV-2 infection. There was not only a fragility of health care, but the fragility of epidemiological systems and surveillance plans, a fragility of laboratory testing and sequencing capacity, and fragile, very fragile risk communication of local health officials and politicians around the state and impact of the pandemic in many countries.

It seems to be that many ministries and secretariats of health forget about preparedness. We have seen, time and again, that every time there is a regional epidemiological problem, a health issue of significant proportions in some country, things must start from scratch to face it and control it. Preparedness plans -if any- are not quickly implemented, laboratory equipment or reagents, not ready, personal protection equipment not available, or too old to be used. Thankfully, there are not many epidemiological outbreaks constantly, but when there is one to be dealt with, many LMIC are not ready.

Coming back to what politicians and health officials must do after such a long COVID-19 period is a much-needed exercise. Are these people ready for it? Have they the clarity of mind, the courage to face the much-needed naked truth to be revealed, confronted, and dealt with? We must remember that many, thousands of lost lives, that many people who got sick have been living with long term post-COVID symptoms, that whatever decision made by them had a consequence, good or bad, but a result they are responsible for.

How many fact-based evaluations will the world see after one year and a half of pandemic? How many changes and adjustments in strategies will we see after such evaluations -if any- are performed? Will politically appointed health officials be courageous enough to accept failures and submit resignations along with evaluation results?

Approaches must change. COVID-19 medical treatment was changing in the world after reviews of different analyses and clinical trials. The medical community obtained a better knowledge of the disease and systemic damages caused by the virus after evidence obtained in post-mortem studies. Physicians adjusted treatments to support patients and save many lives once that evidence was available.

The final questions are: will evidence help change course in strengthening health systems and epidemiological and laboratory surveillance? Will a better communication strategy be implemented? Will preparedness plans be written, updated, and shared with interested parties to use if needed? I’m sure there are many more questions. However, the real one is if they will ever do such an exercise.

At a time when governments are urged to take on their duties and tackle the health threat posed by poor quality, insufficient or unbalanced baby feeding, PEAH is pleased to publish a reflection, just a thought, by a field engaged Kenyan professional

BARRIERS TO EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING IN WESTERN KENYA

By Charity M’mbaga

Clinical Nutritionist at Kenyatta National Hospital

 

 

The importance of breastfeeding cannot be overemphasized. The majority of children who end up having low intelligent quotient, diabetes and obesity are those who were not exclusively breastfed. It is recommended that infants should be breastfed exclusively for six months with exclusion of solid foods and water.

Western Kenya is one of former Kenya’s administrative provinces outside Nairobi.

Despite being the bread basket of the Country* there are several barriers that hinder breastfeeding in this region. We take a look at some of these hindrances

• Cultural Factors-This region comprises of the Abaluhya community who are diverse and with different cultural beliefs. Some tend to believe that the mother’s milk cannot fully satisfy the baby hence the baby needs other feeds to so as to be strong. This leads to the introduction of mixed feeding as early as three months to the baby
• Teenage pregnancy-With the introduction of free primary school in Kenya, school going children who give birth are encouraged to go back to school. With these comes the challenge of choosing before exclusive breastfeeding and school and the later takes preeminence
• Lack of proper knowledge-Even though we are in the internet where knowledge and skills can be easily accessed, we still have a percentage of the population who cannot access this. Some breastfeeding mothers in this region lack the proper guidance on the period required to exclusively breastfeed their babies
• Social customs-Because of social inclinations and customs, some breastfeeding mothers tend to believe that the mother’s milk is not enough for the baby and therefore start mixed feeding as early as two months

Nutrition education should be given to expectant mothers attending the antenatal clinic so as to enlighten them on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

———————————————

*The main economic activity in western Kenya is farming, majorly subsistence farming of food crops such as maize, bananas, beans, wheat and sweet potatoes. The main staple food is maize, which is further processed to maize flour to make bread and baby foods such as Weetabix among other products.