 Staff of the Tirochet Casteries Wellness Centre and the Bureau of Health Education were later to engage with expectant and nursing mothers in a breastfeeding education and sensitization session. The session, which took place on Monday, August 24, 2023, followed two similar sessions at the Bexor and Viewport Wellness Centre in observance of breastfeeding awareness months. Participants were instructed on the benefits of breast milk to both mother and infant and to the proper techniques of breastfeeding. Today's theme is enabling breastfeeding, making a difference for working mothers and we know sometimes the difficulty working mothers have in feeding their baby, expressing the milk, you know, getting time even at work to be able to express the milk. So we are advocating that employers understand the importance of breastfeeding to the baby and that it's the first feeding that baby gets, the first food and the most important food for baby as baby starts life and we advocate for up to six months. Tirochet Health Centre is one that advocates for exclusive breastfeeding and for those of you who have been my client here and come into my antenatal clinic, you will realize that we speak a lot about breastfeeding, at least for the first six months of life, okay? Because as you will see in our presentation, it will assist in a lot of the diseases and conditions that our babies do get during the course of their life. They were also joined by two representatives from the National Insurance Corporation who under the NIC's Knowledge as Power campaign encouraged the mothers to take advantage of the various NIC benefits such as maternity and hospitalization grants. So NIC, we have a number of benefits that we provide to expectant mothers or to new mothers and so today we're going to use that opportunity to educate those mothers on those benefits that we provide. Such benefits include maternity benefits, maternity grant and also hospitalization benefits that we provide. So a lot of times people are not aware of those benefits that they can take advantage of through the NIC and so we're very pleased to get this opportunity to educate and inform them today. So our Knowledge as Power campaign is an initiative that we've been having for a number of years now and what we do, we go through businesses, through schools, through organizations, throughout the length and breadth of St. Lucia to educate them on the benefits available and also the benefits, the policies, the programs that NIC has and so we're very pleased to be here today. Our comrades caught up with one of the participants who was thankful for the invaluable information she received. I learned a lot about breastfeeding today. I learned that it is beneficial for both me and the baby. I learned how to breastfeed. I learned that breastfeeding is very good. It prevents illnesses for the baby. At the end of the session, participants receive the packages comprising maternity and other supplies. The breastfeeding, education and sensitization sessions will continue at the Loclery Wellness Center. From the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Otherly Affairs, Julie Tepita reporting.