Dear friends,

DECENTRALIZATION is a very important part of our WBW plan for the next
three years.  So, we’re planning to hold regional workshops which goals are:

1) To present and discuss a decentralization process for WBW planning.
2) To evaluate activities developed in the former WBW.
3) To identify country needs as well as support them to celebrate and work
on WBW Campaign.
4) To analyze and discuss on materials to be used to support WBW activities
worldwide and at country levels.
5) To draw up a working plan to plan WBW at country level.
6) To discuss "How to use Internet as a tool for WBW information and
coordination." 

These workshops will be very important to improve our work, but you can
also participate this process sharing with us your experience, concerns and
ideas.

The first WBW Strategic Planning Workshop it was held on the 15th of
February, in Caracas, Venezuela,  taking the opportunity that more than 35
representatives from 15 Latin-American countries were participating at the
"International Monitoring Training Workshop" and at the "IBFAN
Latin-American Meeting".  This enabled us to save time and funds, and start
up the decentralization process for planning WBW at regional and country
levels. 

During the Workshop, a process of analysis and the development of
recommendations identifying needs for additional support was discussed
based on the country programs and priorities. Thirty four participants
coming from fifteen different Latin America & Caribbean countries took part
at the Meeting. Participants were representing Govermental bodies,
Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Ibfan & WABA groups as well as
representatives from National Breastfeeding Comission. 

The workhop was conducted through lectures followed by discussions and
working groups. The early lectures covered background information. Quickly,
the workshop  moved into sessions groups on two major topics: WBW
evaluation and WBW Planning process. To foster participation as well as
provide an opportunity to learn about different conditions and programs,
several countries with more WBW experiences were asked to report and show
on WBW activities. 

We’ve conducted the SWOT analysis: Assessing internal Strengths and
Weaknesses, and external Opportunities and Threats to plan WBW Campaign.
Participants were able to work on strategic planning , assess their needs
and share concerns based on related WBW experiences. They also worked on
similarities and differences from country to country and identified
different approaches and abilities to work together on a coordinating basis
through Electronic Mail.

Analysis &  lessons learned:

1) Strength

- WBW strength grass roots groups,  networking and help to build national
capacity .
- To have a different WBW theme each year to work.
- To state that it is a WABA initiative
- WBW is a unique opportunity to say what is WABA and what is WABA for.
-  Allow National Committees to joint efforts, unify criteria, and work
together with other sectors, not just health sector.       
- Governmental bodies as well as NGOs are very interested in BF promotion
activities and WBW Campaign.
- Political will & support from governments, NGOs and International Agencies.
- International Agencies involved to WBW activities - this varies according
to countries.  
- Allow interdisciplinary approach to BF as a social issue, beyond
biomedical sector.
- Political support from grass roots groups to policy makers

2) Weaknesses

- Lack of global planning.
- Lack of coordination from international to national and local levels.
- Lack of a coordinating group to plan and manage WBW Campaign at country
level.
- Support materials have been sent too late, just before or during the WBW.
- Support materials have been sent to the wrong institution or contact .
- Lack of financial resources to distribute or reproduce materials.
- Lack of time to organize and plan the WBW Campaign.
- Action folder too extensive and sometimes not related to regional or
national context.
- Activities organized based on spontaneous & voluntary people, not
coordinated.
- Different designs and logos for a global campaign.
- Lack of information on what is WABA and how its works (WABA organization
influences on WBW planning, organization and impact)

3) Opportunities

- WBW is an unique opportunity to approach mass media and promote
breastfeeding.
- WBW is an opportunity to show what is going on breastfeeding.
- WBW is an opportunity to work with different social sectors.
- To plan regionally based on lessons learned.
- To learn about Internet possibilities and source of information: WBW web
site.
- To learn on Electronic Mail capabilities and possibilities of
cost-effective communications media.

4) Threats

- Risk to launch a Campaign and not to reach the goal as a Global Initiative.
- Institutional "jealousy"
- Risk of other institutions or organizations using the campaign for their
own benefit or for other purposes.

Recommendations:

1)  To encourage WBW regional or national coordination as well as grass
roots groups not to receive, neither to work on partnership with baby milk
industries and others that pollutes the environment.
2)  To produce a WBW Poster and a video.
3)  To make a press release to convene different people like journalists,
pediatricians, breastfeeding moms, policy makers, etc.
4)  To hold such as regional or country planning meetings to improve WBW
campaigns and reach more impact.
5)  To link and coordinate among countries and regions in order to have
technical cooperation and support in a cross fertilization process
South-South and South-North.
6)  To put in every publication on health, or other related  issue to the
1997 WBW theme  on statement on WBW: BF: Nature’s way or the slogan
selected according to regional context. 
7)  To ask breastfeeding advocates to include in their "signature’s e-mail"
the text: "World Breastfeeding Week  1997 - Nature’s Way"
8)  A general consensus was pointed out to promote  the Internet and
Electronic Mail  both as a tool for coordinating and dissemination channels
for WBW.
9)  To share the WBW themes in advance.
10)  Workplans will be shared with national and local authorities and
counterparts to initiate the planning process at country level. Each rep at
the meeting was committed to go back to the country and try to organize a
planning meeting to share the experiences, and information on WBW theme and
materials.
11)  Participants strongly stated to maintain logo as well as colors for
the WBW Calendar, and suggested to use it for all the related materials for
the Campaign: posters, web site, booklets, leaflets, action folder,
activity sheet etc..
12)  To produce an activity sheet on "How to organize a Campaign" was also
suggested to be part of the materials to support countries in their
activities.

The main purpose was to enable people to think strategically what, how,
with whom, when they will be planning WBW Campaign. On the other hand, the
goal of the workshop was also that people keep in mind that there is a need
to plan to reach more impact from WBW and there is a need to coordinate in
order to build national capacity and put breastfeeding on the top of the
country agenda.


Denise Arcoverde
WABA International WBW Coordinator
Phone/fax: 55.81.4321913
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.elogica.com.br/aleitamento
http://www.elogica.com.br/waba
WBW'97 - "Nature's Way"