Nestlé India together with MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, a national not for profit Institution, rolled out the Swasth Jananee, Swasth Shishu programme to educate and encourage communities to support Breastfeeding.

The programme was implemented by MAMTA, where it focused on counselling to create awareness about early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, and improving breastfeeding practices in the community. The objective was to help them improve nutrition, health and wellness of infants, as well as to help them understand the need to ensure the health and wellness of pregnant and lactating mothers. The counselling by ‘peer mentors’ also encouraged and created awareness about gender equality, the need to adopt healthy practices irrespective of gender, seek support from the public health system and help the communities overcome societal barriers that unknowingly weaken the foundation for a child’s health. The effort was be to make breastfeeding a part of community knowledge and practice.

“Swasth Janani Swasth Sishu”- Breastfeeding is one of the key messages that Nestlé Start Heathy Stay Healthy propagates as a part of promoting healthy 1st 1000 days and believes that mother’s milk is the best nutrition of babies and lays foundation to a healthy future

 Key objective-

• To increase knowledge attitude and behavior among pregnant women and lactating mothers towards breastfeeding and its benefits
• Taking women from knowledge into practices to ensure all infants born are breastfed in 1 hour of birth and are breastfed exclusively for 6 months.
• To create enabling and supportive environment in the family and community for promoting breast feeding practices and behavior.
• To strengthen the public health system response to the nutritional needs of target groups and develop them as support group for women to sustain and succeed breastfeeding

Since 2014, program has reached to population of 100,000 and 1400 direct beneficiaries (Pregnant women in their 3rd trimester and lactating mothers of infants until 6 months of age).