They are everywhere in The Gambia, most
 often caught napping as they
travel around town tied to their mother’s back. A birth in The Gambia
is cause for celebration and congratulations; about seven days after a
baby comes into the world, his/her parents will host a lavish naming ceremony, a big party to celebrate the assignment of a baby’s
nomenclature.
Since babies of both sexes look similar, you
 might finds it hard
to know if you are looking at a male or female, since boys are
just as likely to wear pink as the ladies are. One trick is to
check the child’s earlobes—girls’ ears are usually pierced when
they are very young; if earrings have not been inserted, you
will most likely notice string threaded through the lobes. If no
holes are present, you can probably assume it’s a boy.
Facts & Figures:
Traditional beliefs and practices influence the way a mother
feeds her infant in the Gambia. Exclusive breastfeeding for any
duration is one component of optimal breast-feeding that Gambian
mothers find difficult to practice. Thus, community
participation is one of the strategies intended to promote
exclusive infant breastfeeding. In this regard, a pilot project,
entitled The Baby- friendly Community Initiative (BFCI), was
organized in the 12 rural communities of the Gambia. The project
was based on the global UN International Children's Emergency
Fund/WHO Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative. Differences are
noted to have occurred between community initiative and hospital
initiative in two major areas. These include the changing of the
hospital initiatives' '10 steps to successful breastfeeding'
into '10 steps to successful infant feeding'. Secondly, the
traditional mother-to-mother support groups were adapted to
'village support groups on infant feeding'. In its sixth year of
implementation, the BFCI contributed to the increase in national
average of exclusive breast-feeding from 17.4% in 1998 to 35% in
2000. Lastly, the communities' perceived benefits of the project
went beyond its impact on breastfeeding practices to include
cleaner environment, fewer mosquitoes, healthier infants and
pregnant women.
Africa Health, 2001
|
 One of the most important
recent developments in child health is a tracking system
that records a baby's health on a blue infant-welfare card.
UNICEF has just spent $10,000 on new cards to make sure there
are enough for all children.
There also has been a strong push to educate women about HIV and
how they can protect themselves and their children. Testing is
offered, as well as counselling and medication if needed.
January 2007
| Under-5 mortality rank |
27 |
| |
|
| Under-5 mortality rate, 1990 |
151 |
| |
|
| Under-5 mortality rate, 2005 |
137 |
| |
|
| Infant mortality rate (under 1), 1990 |
103 |
| |
|
| Infant mortality rate (under 1), 2005 |
97 |
| |
|
| Neonatal mortality rate, 2000 |
46 |
| |
|
| Annual no. of births (thousands), 2005 |
52 |
| |
|
| Annual no. of under-5 deaths (thousands),
2005 |
7 |
| |
|
| Life expectancy at birth (years), 2005 |
57 |
| |
|
| % of infants with low
birth weight,
1998-2005* |
17 |
| |
|
| % of children (1996-2005*) who are:
exclusively breastfed (<6 months) |
26 |
| |
|
| % of children (1996-2005*) who are:
breastfed with complementary food (6-9 months) |
37 |
| |
|
| % of children (1996-2005*) who are: still
breastfeeding (20-23 months) |
54 |
| |
|
| % of under-fives (1996-2005*) suffering
from: underweight, moderate & severe |
17 |
| |
|
| % of under-fives (1996-2005*) suffering
from: underweight, severe 4 |
4 |
| |
|
| % of under-fives (1996-2005*) suffering
from: wasting, moderate & severe |
8 |
| |
|
| Unicef |
|
|
|
