Working Women and Breastfeeding in Ghana  

Charlotte Acquah, Training co-cordinator GINAN 

Ghana has historic linkage with breastfeeding, advocacy namely the late Dr. Cicely Williams stressed the need for breastfeeding in the early 1930s as part of her pioneering work in the Primary Helath Care and Maternal and Child Health in two main cities of Ghana (Accra and Kumasi). In her description of kwashiorkor in 1933 she came out with the causes of this nutritional condition as deprivation of breastmilk, early weaning with consequent formula feeding. This study put Ghana, the then Gold Coast on the medical Camp. 

Traditionally, Ghanaian women have been breastfeeding their children from birth to two years. But with the advent of the manufacturers of inafant formula strategic adverts, the Ghanaian woman started adding all types of milk, teas, and other liquids to breastmilk. 

Since 1987, when GINAN was inaugurated training of both health workers of various fields have been done. This has created much awareness in the nation and communities. In 1993, the BFHIA, a task force came into being and it also added its quota to the training of health workers in lactation management. 

The exclusive breastfeeding rate has rises from 2% in 1983 to 20% in 1995. As of now, I will not doubt if research finding will reveal an increase to 50% because GINAN and BFHIA have extended their services to the rural communities. 

The technical training of June 1990 prior to the Inocenti Declaration recommended: 

1) The establishment of a task force within the national Breastfeeding Committee on Women, Work and Breastfeeding. 

2) The integration of issues relevant ot the employed women in all breastfeeding pronotion programmes. 

Unfortunately, these two recommendations have not been implemented in Ghana. 

However Ghana has been involved in: 

1. Training  

A. Women in the formal sector  

Very few women have been trained in lactation management. 

B. Women in the informal sector  

i) Hairdresser 
ii) Dressmaker 
iii) Market women 

Outcome of the training  

All these women were trained to empower them to: 

- help and support other women who bring their babies to the saloon, stall or the stall or the market. 

- form mother support groups in their various areas where they meet once a month to discuss their activities and find solutions to their problems. 

2. Dissemination of Information  

A. Women in the formal sector  

Women in some organizations have formed clubs and GINAN has been working with some Ladies Clubs by educating the with the use of audio-visuals in breastfeeding issues. GINAN also encourages them to continue with the exclusive breastfeeding even after their maternity leave. We teach them manual expression where to keep the EBM and the use of cup feeding the babies. 

B. Women in the Informal sector  

From time to time, GINAN members organize various education activities at the market places e.g. talks, video shows and group discussions, to inform the women of benefits of breastfeeding and the need to practice exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months. 

C. Mass Media  

GINAN also creates awareness through the mass media. 

WORKING WOMEN AND BREASTFEEDING  

Formal sector 

· Very few take the babies to the creche. 

· Some express the breastmilk and leave it with the caretakers to feed the babies in their absences. 

· Very very few take their babies to their offices with or without helpers. 

· Other supplement after 4 months. 

Informal Sector  

About 65% - 70% of women in Gahan work in the informal sector. This makes it easier for them to bring their babies to their work places. 

Market Women  

What GINAN did in 1995 was to train 25 market women to empower them with knowledge and skills in supporting women who breastfeed their babies at the market. 

Strategy used  

There are group leaders of various items sold at the market. The leaders were selected by the women themselves in collaboration with the regional coordinator of NCWD (National Council for Women and Development.) 

The leaders after training introduced themselves to their various group and briefed them about the training. Emphasis was placed on: 

· Exclusive breastfeeding after six months. 

· Taking children to the market to facilitate continuous exclusive breastfeeding after resumption of work. 

· Expressing breastmilk into a cup and leaving for the caretaker to feed the baby if if cannot be taken to the market. 

· Trainers supporting people with breastfeeding problems. 

Achievements  

There was no baseline data to compare new data with. But from observation, more women bring their babies to the market than before as a result of their work. 

Hairdressers and Dressmakers GINAN is looking for funds to train more hairdressers and dressmakers so they can also be empowered to support and encourage those of their members who will become mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children till 6 months. 

Legislation Protecting the Breastfeeding Rights of Working Women 

1. The ILO 

The International Labor Organization was the first to come out with: 

· 12 weeks maternity leave (6 weeks before and six weeks after) with pay. 

· Two half-hour breastfeeding breaks during each working day. 

· Prohibition of dismissal during maternity leave. 

In Ghana  

The ILO convention is not adhered to strictly except in some private organizations. 

In the government sector, there are individual regulations e.g. 

i) In the Ministry of Health: There is 3 months maternity leave after delivery with pay. Plus your annual leave to make 4 months. 

ii) Environmental Protection Council It is a maximum of 6 months maternity leave with pay but you start 6 weeks before delivery. 

iii) Other Establishment Three months maternity leave plus your annual leave. The choice is the woman's whether to start 6 weeks after delivery or not. Most of them choose to wait till after delivery. So by the time the mother resumes work from the maternity leave, the child will be four months plus. 

Civil Servants Ladies Association  

This group met at a meeting in 1996 with a proposal from the government to extend the maternity leave to four months with pay. This is to enable mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies till 4 months. 

There is a lot of politics going on because employers association is against this proposal. GINAN was represented at the meeting. 

Conclusion  

Concrete action is needed to support the rights of women and children to breastfeed - indeed the challenge is to ensure that women are able to combine breastfeeding and work, whether at home, in the informal sector or paid employment. I suggest more lobbying at the World Health Assembly and ILO for them to come out with a declaration on 4 months maternity leave with pay to enable working women breastfeed exclusively for at least 4 months.