The second regional breastfeeding counselling training course took place in Cairo, Egypt, from 6 to 11 December 2003.
The training had the objective to keep building regional capacity for training in breastfeeding counselling, creating a pool of facilitators to assist countries in their breastfeeding training activities. It used the newly developed training materials in Arabic.
This training activity was the result of a long preparatory technical work which included the development of the materials, as it had been recommended by the participants of the first course in March 2003. The revision concerned not only the adaptation of the content of the training materials but also the development of a new training methodology, to replace the original lecture-based approach with a more active learning methodology. The new approach more effectively enabled participant acquisition of the counselling skills.
Data from countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region—even those characterized by relatively high socio-economic development—show that breastfeeding indicators are still far away from optimal, acceptable levels. Any effort to improve child health in the Region should take into consideration promotion of breastfeeding as an essential component of good child health. This is not only to reduce child mortality but also to reduce the burden of disease by reducing child vulnerability to illness.
The breastfeeding counselling training course is one useful approach, in addition to other interventions at health facility and community levels.
Thirty participants from 7 countries in the Region, namely Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia participated in the course. Training included: a) classroom sessions, where the technical content of the course was reviewed and discussed through presentations, reading sessions, group work, written exercises, individual feedback, role plays, group discussions, video sessions; and b) clinical sessions both in maternity and paediatric outpatient wards, during which the participants practised not only the breastfeeding counselling skills but also complementary feeding counselling skills in an outpatient department, using the Egypt adapted feeding recommendations from the IMCI package.
Related links
Regional training on "Infant and Young Child Feeding Counselling"
Counselling on infant and young child feeding: training materials
Key family practices on child health care: exclusive breastfeeding
First regional breastfeeding counselling training course, 15–20 and 22–27 March 2003
The second regional breastfeeding counselling training course took place in Cairo, Egypt, from 6 to 11 December 2003.
The training had the objective to keep building regional capacity for training in breastfeeding counselling, creating a pool of facilitators to assist countries in their breastfeeding training activities. It used the newly developed training materials in Arabic.
This training activity was the result of a long preparatory technical work which included the development of the materials, as it had been recommended by the participants of the first course in March 2003. The revision concerned not only the adaptation of the content of the training materials but also the development of a new training methodology, to replace the original lecture-based approach with a more active learning methodology. The new approach more effectively enabled participant acquisition of the counselling skills.
Data from countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region—even those characterized by relatively high socio-economic development—show that breastfeeding indicators are still far away from optimal, acceptable levels. Any effort to improve child health in the Region should take into consideration promotion of breastfeeding as an essential component of good child health. This is not only to reduce child mortality but also to reduce the burden of disease by reducing child vulnerability to illness.
The breastfeeding counselling training course is one useful approach, in addition to other interventions at health facility and community levels.
Thirty participants from 7 countries in the Region, namely Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia participated in the course. Training included: a) classroom sessions, where the technical content of the course was reviewed and discussed through presentations, reading sessions, group work, written exercises, individual feedback, role plays, group discussions, video sessions; and b) clinical sessions both in maternity and paediatric outpatient wards, during which the participants practised not only the breastfeeding counselling skills but also complementary feeding counselling skills in an outpatient department, using the Egypt adapted feeding recommendations from the IMCI package.
Related links
Regional training on "Infant and Young Child Feeding Counselling"
Counselling on infant and young child feeding: training materials
Key family practices on child health care: exclusive breastfeeding
First regional breastfeeding counselling training course, 15–20 and 22–27 March 2003
