On the last Friday, August 1st, at 18pm, Christ the Redeemer was illuminated by golden color to draw attention to the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). This special action, an initiative of the Our Lady of Childbirth Social Center, through the "Pro-Gestus - Responsible Parenting Project", of the Our Lady of Childbirth Church, downtown, aimed to raise awareness to the importance and relevance of breastfeeding for toddlers and feeding infants.
With the theme "Proving the importance of improving and maintaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and more," the event was held in partnership with the State University of Rio de Janeiro, with Veiga de Almeida University, with the Fernandes Figueira Institute, among others.
At the opening of the WBW, at 9am at the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, the Rector of the Shrine, father Omar Raposo, blessed the campaign, the breastfeeding mothers and their children:
"As the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer embraces all campaigns in favor of life and health, it could not stay out of the World Breastfeeding Week, which still needs to gain more strength in Rio de Janeiro. Information on the subject makes all the difference. It demystifies what's wrong and guides correctly on the benefits that it brings to the health of the breastfed and also to the woman herself ", he said.
Throughout the week, between 9am and 17pm, the Our Lady of Childbirth Social Center (Rua Rodrigo Silva, 7, downtown) shall provide guidance on the subject to those interested. And the Zona Sul supermarket’s collection points will be providing bottles for milk storage, with the aim of donating it to the Social Center’s pregnant women and to the human milk banks.
On the last day of the WBW, August 7th, between 11am and 15pm, there will be an exhibition of the drawing competition on breastfeeding, at the Our Lady of Childbirth Church.
The material was produced by the children of Casa Maternal Mello Mattos, that is assisted by the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer social work. At the end of the event, the contest’s three winners will be awarded.
Credits: ArqRio
