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Our first test of the operationalization approach and our first regional capacity building activities are in Ghana.
Breastmilk for Life – Ghana
In 2022 we began collaborating with the government to co-develop and test an innovative approach to operationalize the country’s national breastfeeding policy with a project called Breastmilk for Life – Ghana.
The systematic, six phase approach is based on academic knowledge about barriers and drivers of breastfeeding and existing and published breastfeeding interventions. It utilizes a set of resources – frameworks, taxonomies, tools and databases – which will be further developed and tested during the project.
A technical advisory group is being set up to provide consultation and support. Once the project is complete, the government will retain responsibility and control of the operationalization process and quality of the result.
We believe this approach to close the operationalization gap is an important element in revitalizing the journey from science to local impact.
Sustainable capacity building
Since 2021, we have collaborated with the Ubora Institute to co-develop local expertise for optimal impact within a regional context. In other words, build local expertise to support governments to operationalize their breastfeeding policies.
Ubora Institute is the first African-based institute with expertise in healthcare quality improvement initiatives in resource-constrained areas; Ubora has several active projects in Ghana.
Both the capacity building work with Ubora Institute and the work to close knowledge gaps with the Breastmilk for Life – Ghana project aim to empower local communities and governments to operationalize their breastfeeding policies with the ultimate goal of improving breastfeeding rates.