Introduction

Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) was founded on 3 December 1991 at Wardha, Maharashtra. BPNI is a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to promote mother and child health through protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. BPNI is the Regional Focal Point for the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). BPNI acts on the targets of Innocenti Declaration, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and International Code, and National plan of Action for the Child, India. BPNI works allover India through education of people and health workers, policy advocacy, training, social mobilization, information sharing and monitoring the compliance of the "Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992" (IMS Act). As a policy, BPNI does not accept funds or sponsorship of any kind from the companies producing infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles, related equipments, or infant foods (cereal foods) or from those who have been ever found to violate the IMS Act or The International Code.

As a policy, BPNI does not accept funds or sponsorship of any kind from the companies producing infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles, related equipments, or infant foods (cereal foods) or from those who have been ever found to violate the IMS Act or The International Code.

BPNI's Goals

To empower all women to exclusively breastfeed their children for first 6 months and continue breastfeeding till two years along with appropriate complementary foods started at the age of six months.

BPNI's Objectives

1. To advocate for sound policies on infant and young child feeding.
2. To facilitate training health professionals at hospitals, community workers at grassroots level in management of appropriate infant and child feeding practices.
3. To monitor compliance of the IMS Act.
4. To produce and disseminate accurate information on infant and young child feeding.

BPNI's Areas of Work

To achieves its objectives, BPNI works in following areas:

1. Training
2. Information
3. Research
4. Women and Work
5. Compliance of the IMS Act/International Code
6. Education curriculum
7. Social mobilization
8. Policy & planning

1. Training: BPNI works towards training of health professionals and community workers to protect, promote, and support of breastfeeding. BPNI coordinates and facilitates the education and training of grassroots personnel in health and nutrition sector, both public and private hospitals as well. BPNI works to enhance the quality of BFHI through improved training.

2. Information: BPNI works to provide accurate information on breastfeeding and complementary feeding at the local, state, national and regional level. The National Resource Center of BPNI collects, uses and shares information to support state and national programmes. Important activities in this area include dissemination of materials produced by BPNI, IBFAN and WABA and maintenance of a website for information campaign.

3. Research: BPNI encourages research on breastfeeding and complementary feeding issues and disseminates these findings for protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

4. Women and Work: BPNI supports special needs of working women through advocacy work and information campaigns towards ensuring their rights.

5. Monitoring and Implementation of the IMS Act: BPNI works on systematic monitoring of the compliance with the IMS Act, International Code and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions. It provides information, training and develops materials for all levels.

6. Education (Medical, Nursing & others): BPNI works to strengthen basic curriculum on infant feeding at all levels.

7. Social mobilization: BPNI supports social mobilization towards a breastfeeding culture for all communities all over India, and disseminates information to promote, protect and support breastfeeding.

8. Policy & Planning: BPNI works towards development of sound infant feeding policies and also advocates for such policies with the governments and other organizations.

BPNI has been devoting its time and energy in carrying out several activities to bring changes in policy and other levels since last nine years. It became important to study the effectiveness to serve as a guide for future work as BPNI gets involved in several areas of work.

This report attempts to analyze the BPNI campaign over the years and its effectiveness. The framework developed by the New Economic Foundation helped us to evaluate our efforts and learn from the past and present experience. BPNI's campaign has met with considerable success at the national and international level. The report has two parts, first briefly describe the activities of BPNI and the second analyzes the effects of its work at various levels and how all that happened.

New Economics Foundation, London. A Toolkit for enhancing NGO Campaigning and Advocacy

The first part: BPNI's activities over the years

In this part of report, year wise summary of activities is provided that includes advocacy work and other activities at various levels to gather support to infant feeding. The report includes only key activities and no way does it reflect all the activities carried out by the state, city chapters and individual members BPNI all over the country. It also includes the materials that BPNI has been developing and disseminating from time to time.

A report on effectiveness of the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI) activities on Infant feeding Policies and Practices in India.

Dr Arun Gupta MD (Ped.) National Coordinator BPNI.

Acknowledgments I gratefully acknowledge the contribution of all BPNI members from all over India; in whatever capacity they have put in their time and energy in achieving the success of BPNI campaign. I greatly appreciate the contribution of all those who worked in collaboration with BPNI, which has been an important factor in the achievement of its effects.

I thank Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, UNICEF, Dutch Ministry of Cooperation and Development (DGIS), WABA, IBFAN, OXFAM, Government of Luxembourg, W.H.O., and other agencies and individuals who contributed finances without which it would not have been possible to carry out this work. I am especially thankful to GIFA, for their untiring efforts to help us getting financial support at a time when we were being burnt out.

Maryse Lehners of IBFAN Luxembourg, who worked with patience for two years to get funds for BPNI from the Government of Luxembourg, also deserves a very special appreciation. Special thanks are to Mr. R.V. Pillai, Dr. Jagdish Sobti, Dr. G.P. Mathur, Nirmala Selvum who helped me in improving the document in its language and layouts.

I sincerely appreciate the continuous guidance and encouragement that was always available to me from my very dear Dr RK Anand, who has been a source of inspiration for this work. I am also indebted to Dr. N.B. Kumta, Dr. Tarsem Jindal and Dr. Subhash Dawar, advisors of BPNI and task forces who provided me all kind of support I needed during these whole years.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to my BPNI office staff, Jessy Amit, Yogender and Joginder, who has been acting behind the scenes very much a part of success BPNI has on record. Finally I also like to thank my wife, Rita, daughter Divya and son Arpit for their unconditional support rendered throughout my carrier as a breastfeeding advocate.

The first part: BPNI's activities over the years

In this part of report, year wise summary of activities is provided that includes advocacy work and other activities at various levels to gather support to infant feeding. The report includes only key activities and no way does it reflect all the activities carried out by the state, city chapters and individual members BPNI all over the country. It also includes the materials that BPNI has been developing and disseminating from time to time.