Madrid, 25 July 2007- According to a survey carried out by Action Against Hunger, 96% of mothers no longer consider colostrum as being harmful to their babies (this is compared to 67% in 2006), and 8 out of 10 mothers now breastfeed their baby during the first 24 hours of its life.

Following a survey carried out in the region of Gao, where Action Against Hunger is implementing nutrition and hygiene projects, the organisation has noted a considerable improvement in the mothers' nursing habits. Almost 100% of babies now receive colostrums dismissing the previously held belief that it is harmful for the baby and provokes diarrhoea and other illnesses. The proportion of mothers who give water or animal milk to their newborn children instead of their own milk has gone from 67% in July 2006 to 1% in April 2007, whilst more than half admit to breastfeeding from the instant after giving birth.

"A mother is capable of adapting her beliefs if she sees that changes in her habits will benefit her child. The maternal instinct to protect a child's survival trumps all traditions," declares Núria Salse, Head of Nutrition, Action Against Hunger-Spain. In this sense mothers have attended workshops run by peers from their own community, which has improved their understanding of the causes of malnutrition and lack of vitamin A. The number of mothers that now know how to identify night blindness (a direct result of Vitamin A deficiency) and how to apply preventative methods has tripled in the past year.

It is essential for mothers to understand the importance of the baby receiving colostrums. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the breast and is packed full of immunoglobulin to offer protection to the baby. Receiving this milk and establishing breastfeeding within the first hour after birth is the single most effective intervention against infant mortality.

As for health and hygiene practices, habits like washing hands with soap or burning and burying waste are practiced by 60% of the families surveyed - a figure that has doubled since 2006. "These practices are simple and easy to apply. They can prevent illnesses related to dirty water like cholera or diarrhoea, which kill over 5 million people each year," comments Pablo Alcalde, Head of Water and Sanitation, Action Against Hunger-Spain.

Action Against Hunger has worked on health and nutrition, food security, water, and sanitation projects in Mali since 1996. In the last few months, the organisation launched an nutrition and AIDS project to research the risks and prevention of the disease, and to inform pregnant mothers about mother-to-child transmission.

ENDS

Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organisation, working in 43 of the world's poorest countries. Its vocation is to save lives, especially those of malnourished children, and to work with vulnerable populations to preserve and restore their livelihoods with dignity.

For more information, please contact the press team on info@aahuk.org or 020 8293 6190.