NGO News Desk ::

They also alleged that many powerful multinational companies adopt many different techniques to bypass The Breast-milk Substitutes (Regulation of Marketing) Ordinance the government enacted in 1984.

‘To discourage the use of formulas there is no alternative of “brainwashing” people besides putting into place strict law,’ said Fatema Parveen, physician and secretary of Bangladesh National Nutrition Council, in her keynote presentation.

BRAC Advocacy for Social Change unit organized the event titled ‘Sharing Meeting on BMS Code Implementation’ at the BRAC Centre.

The event focused on identifying the gaps existing in promoting exclusive breastfeeding of children for the first six months after their birth and in promoting proper supplementary feeding from seventh month up to two years of age. Gaps existing in the implementation of the Ordinance have also been discussed at the event.

Kaosar Afsana, director of BRAC Health Nutrition and Population Programme, chaired the meeting with Mustafizur Rahman, programme manager of the National Nutrition Service, an undertaking of the government Institute of Public Health Nutrition.

Having mentioned that in recent years exclusive breastfeeding of children for the first six months have remarkably increased in the country taking it to above 60 per cent, the speakers said Bangladesh still has far to go in improving the nutritional status of under-five children.

Mustafizur Rahman informed the audience that the 1984 ordinance has been revised and sent to the ministry of law for scrutiny.

Kaosar Afsana described the activities BRAC is carrying out at the grassroots to motivate and facilitate mothers about exclusive breastfeeding and proper complementary feeding.

The speakers also stressed a powerful social movement that will strongly motivate people about exclusive breastfeeding and avert them from buying formulas for their babies.

Among others, Farzana Ishrat, nutrition expert, Abul Khair, city editor, Ittefaq, Alison Subrata Baroi, coordinator, Advocacy for Social Change BRAC were present at the meeting.

Staff Reporter :: BRAC organised a press conference on Wasfia Nazreen’s return to the country after her successful expedition to Mount Vinson, the highest point of Antarctica. She reached at Dhaka airport on 22^nd January at 9.20 am local time by Qatar Airways where she was received by BRAC officials. She reached the peak of Mount Vinson on 4^th January 2013, as the fourth leg of her “Bangladesh on Seven Summits” campaign which kicked off on 26^th March 2012.

Executive Director of BRAC Dr Mahabub Hossain, Head of Communication and Service Quality of BRAC Bank Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq, Head of Marketing Sania Mahmood from bKash, and Rashida Parveen from BRAC’s adolescent development programme were present at the press conference. Wasfia handed over the flag of Bangladesh, given to her on the flag-off ceremony of her expedition, to the ED, bKash and BRAC bank officials. The Mount Vinson expedition of Bangladesh on Seven Summits was supported by BRAC in collaboration with bKash Limited and BRAC Bank Limited. Wasfia Nazreen will also work as BRAC’s Goodwill Ambassador for the next one year to champion the cause of women empowerment. Congratulating Wasfia, Dr Mahabub Hossain said he hopes Wasfia “can be an idol for young girls and women to look up to, and that many young girls can draw inspiration from her”.

While sharing her experience of the expedition she mentioned that, “climbing Mount Vinson was a much tougher challenge than Mount Everest, due to cold winds and much lower temperature. However, I started Seven Summits to inspire girls, and I am proud to accomplish this with support from BRAC”.

Wasfia set off on her expedition with a flag-off ceremony on 8^th November 2012 to climb Mount Vinson. She reached Canada on 29^th November 2012 and underwent a three week long extensive training and acclimatisation in winter wilderness of Canada with Patrick Morrow, the first person in the world to have finished climbing the seven summits 30 years ago. Finally, she left for Antarctica from Chile on 29^th December 2012.

On the eve of Bangladesh turning 40, she had taken up the challenge of climbing the highest mountains of each of the seven continents to celebrate women’s progress of the last four decades and highlight to the world the resiliency of our people.