2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the formation of the Binational Breastfeeding Coalition (BBC)
The BBC will hold a 10-Year Anniversary Celebration press conference to share the results of the impact of our work and future plans with the community. Lactation experts from Ciudad Juárez, El Paso and Las Cruces will provide an overview of programs and initiatives as well as the current state of breastfeeding along the border.
The BBC has chosen to celebrate our 10th anniversary at the end of August as a closing of all activities for National Breastfeeding Month 2022. Our events start with The Border Latch/Gran Lactada taking place in honor of World Alliance of Breastfeeding Action’s (WABA) World Breastfeeding Week. WABA’s theme for 2022 is Step Up for Breastfeeding- Educate and Support, and that is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.
The BBC was created in February 2012 by a small group of women determined to increase intention, initiation and duration of exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months of life of infants who reside along the US–Mexico Border. Today, the BBC has grown with the help of strong and binding relationships with professionals as well as institutional partnerships in order to promote and protect breastfeeding.
Reaching a 10-year milestone gives BBC an opportunity to look back at what our work within our action areas has accomplished and also a look into what needs to be done moving forward so all babies born along the US–Mexico Border have an equal access to human milk lactation. The BBC’s five mayor action areas are:
AWARENESS (community outreach, Big Latch On)
HEALTH PROMOTION (Breastfeeding Welcome initiatives, Breastfeeding in Public practices)
EDUCATION for health care professionals (accredited seminars) and families (resources, support)
RESEARCH (published papers, presentations)
ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLICY CHANGE (Mother-Friendly establishments and worksites, alliances with Baby-Friendly hospitals, human milk banks and depots).
About Binational Breastfeeding Coalition (BBC)
BBC is a local 501(c)3 non-profit serving El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, and Las Cruces, composed of local lactation specialists, nurses, dietitians, public health specialists, doctors, dentists and other professionals. The BBC works diligently to create breastfeeding awareness, provide breastfeeding education to health care professionals, and establish lactation friendly work sites in order for families to have a support network that permits them to breast/chestfeed.