DUBAI // A new hotline will encourage mums to breastfeed by offering assistance, advice and support.
Breastfeeding Friends, a voluntary non-profit organisation set up under Sharjah's Supreme Council for Family Affairs, plans to introduce the new number at the beginning of next month. Help will be available in Arabic, English and Urdu.
Currently, there are separate numbers for each language, but the group hopes that having a single number for all the languages and services will make it easier for mothers to establish contact, enable it to reach more women and increase its support capacity.
Other services offered by the group include breast pump hire, meetings for mothers and one-to-one counselling. Though the organisation is based in Sharjah, mums from across the Emirates will be able to call the hotline.
"It is hard to support breastfeeding in the community," said Sharjah-based GP Dr Ruqeya Fikri, the group's executive coordinator. "Some mothers face difficulties or challenges and need help - somebody to give the correct advice, somebody who they trust who can give the help they want.
"Those who are responsible for this go on special courses so they can answer some questions, but if they cannot answer a question they direct the mother to the breastfeeding clinic. If they have any problems we can direct them to where to get help."
Dr Fikri said the group's aim was to make breastfeeding the norm, not the second choice. "There are psychological and emotional benefits from breastfeeding for both mother and baby," she added. "The bonding between mother and baby is stronger with breastfeeding, and in the future more and more benefits are going to be discovered."
The group's patron, Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, said its work was leading to healthier babies and healthier families."Women, who have been blessed by nature with the ability to feed their children with the best nourishment nature could provide, were being forced by advertising campaigns to bottle feed their babies with powder milk," she said. "BFF has managed to reach many mothers and families and convinced them that breast is best."
The group says artificial baby milk is different from breast milk in terms of nutrients, enzymes, growth factors, hormones and immunological and anti-inflammatory properties, and so cannot aid infant development in the same way.
Breastfeeding Friends is building up a network of mums who act as counsellors. One such counsellor, Fawzia Al Amiri, said the advantages of peer counselling had been proven. "Experienced mothers, after being trained, are the best supporters of new mothers, as we can relate to them," she said.
csimpson@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
AIDA%20RETURNS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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