In line with the Year of Giving 2017, Sharjah Baby Friendly Office (SBFO) has announced that accreditation for companies, nurseries and public places is open for the first time across the UAE. The official body that acts as a focal point in the implementation of all initiatives of the Sharjah Baby Friendly Emirate Campaign (SBFC) is enabling entities to become registered as baby-friendly providing they meet a number of basic conditions and requirements.
SBFO’s initiative allows all corporate entities from the government and private sectors, as well as nurseries and public places in the UAE, to receive accreditation through a trio of categories; Mother-Friendly Work Places, Breastfeeding-Friendly Nurseries and Mother & Baby-Friendly Public Places.
All entities aiming to receive SBFO’s accreditation are required to adhere to a mother and baby-friendly policy, to disseminate it to all of their departments and to brief their staff on it. Designated rooms or amenities that meet specific standards must be provided and awareness brochures and posters on mother and child health and the importance of breastfeeding should be prominently displayed.
Nurseries wishing to gain the Breastfeeding-Friendly Nursery accreditation are required to train staff to empower mothers and enable them to breastfeed their babies within their facilities. An environment that portrays breastfeeding as the norm should be established through the rejection of industrialised methods, such as bottle-feeding, and safe and healthy methods for the transferal and storage of mothers’ natural milk should be readily accessible. The nurseries should also work to promote a breastfeeding culture in the community by raising awareness among parents via direct communication.
The requirements that need to be implemented for the Mother & Baby Friendly Public Place accreditation include the provision of designated facilities for mothers and their babies, with the amenities meeting a number of stipulated conditions, such as good sanitation and privacy, among others. They are also required to display awareness posters and health brochures that foster a breastfeeding culture.
“Since its inception, the Sharjah Baby-Friendly Emirate Campaign has achieved a series of tangible results in the field of mother and baby care and health in the Emirate of Sharjah. In line with the UAE’s Year of Giving 2017, we are now expanding our campaign across all seven emirates,” said Dr. Hessa Al Ghazal, Executive Director of SBFO.
“We are committed to providing a breastfeeding-friendly environment based on infrastructure that enables mothers to play their natural role and breastfeed their babies in comfort and privacy. This is why we are urging all government and private sector companies, nurseries and public places from the seven emirates, to join the initiative and provide mother and baby-friendly environments in their respective areas that meet the highest standards,” she added.
UAE entities and organisations that would like to gain one of the three initiatives’ respective baby-friendly accreditations can find out more by contacting SBFO at: info@sbf.ae, or by visiting the website: www.sharjahbabyfriendly.ae.
Established in June 2016, SBFO aims to protect and elevate the status and wellbeing of children of all ages in Sharjah. It functions to create relevant strategies and plans and to implement them in cooperation with relevant institutions and government authorities.