World Breastfeeding Week 2026:Breastfeeding Begins with Support, and Support Begins with Safe Water
Did you know that human breast milk is approximately 87% to 88% water? Yet the fact that breast milk contains water does not mean that breastfeeding is disconnected from the wider water crisis.
A mother still needs safe water to drink, wash her hands, bathe, prepare food, maintain a hygienic home, recover after childbirth, and care safely for her baby. Health facilities also need reliable water for childbirth, hand hygiene, infection prevention, environmental cleaning, postnatal care, and newborn services. Women may require substantial amounts of drinking water during labor, recovery, and breastfeeding.
Exclusive breastfeeding rates in West and Central Africa remain among the lowest globally. UNICEF previously estimated that only about 3 in 10 infants under six months in the region were exclusively breastfed, compared with a global rate of 48% reported in 2023.
For many nursing mothers, the day begins with carrying a water container instead of resting after a difficult night of feeding. A mother may walk long distances under the sun while still recovering from childbirth, only to return with contaminated water that exposes her family to waterborne disease.
“As a nursing mother, it was heartbreaking to know that the very river we depended on for survival could threaten both my health and my baby’s well-being. But Easy Water for Everyone has changed our story. With safe water now within reach, I have more time, strength, and peace of mind to care for my two-month-old son.”
— Bernice, nursing mother, Tomefa, Ghana
Safe Water Strengthens the Chain of Support
Breastfeeding support cannot end with counseling a mother to breastfeed. It must also address the environment in which she is expected to do so.
In 2023, only about 60% of health care facilities in sub-Saharan Africa had basic water services, underscoring a major systems gap affecting infection prevention, patient safety, maternal care, and newborn health.
This gap makes investment in EWfE’s reliable, climate-resilient Gravity Water Stations a maternal and child health priority, not merely a construction project. Our solar-powered GWS is a proven and scalable technology that strengthens water security in last-mile communities.
The system is designed to purify contaminated water through highly efficient membrane filtration. It helps create an enabling environment in which:
Mothers have more time for breastfeeding, recovery, caregiving, and rest
Families have safer water for drinking, handwashing, bathing, and food preparation
Health workers can provide cleaner and safer maternal and newborn services
Newborns face reduced exposure to water-related illness
Women participate in the management and economic life of the water system
Local authorities and community leaders share responsibility for long-term sustainability
Donor investments are protected through professional monitoring and maintenance
This World Breastfeeding Week, partner with us to build a stronger chain of support around mothers and babies. Strengthen What Works. Support Breastfeeding. Invest in Safe Water.
Help give every baby a safer, healthier, and more sustainable start in life.
