By Dawda M. Jallow
The United Nations in The Gambia has inaugurated a workplace crèche at the UN House in Cape Point to enable working mothers to remain close to their young children and continue breastfeeding during working hours.
The facility was inaugurated on Friday on behalf of the United Nations Country Team in The Gambia and is intended to provide childcare support for staff while creating a breastfeeding-friendly working environment.
Speaking at the inauguration, UN Country Representative Karl Frédérick Paul said the crèche represented a practical commitment to supporting parents and caregivers in the workplace.
“The establishment of this crèche reflects our duty of care to United Nations personnel,” Paul said.
He said the initiative recognised the challenges faced by parents in balancing professional responsibilities with childcare.
According to Paul, the facility would support breastfeeding, early childhood development and staff wellbeing, while giving parents greater peace of mind as they carry out their professional responsibilities.
He said the UN hoped the initiative would serve as a model for other workplaces seeking to promote breastfeeding, gender equality, early childhood development and support for working parents.
The inauguration coincided with the final day of World Breastfeeding Week, observed from 1 to 7 August under the theme, “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works.”
UNICEF Country Representative Nafisa Binte Shafique said the idea for the crèche was prompted by concerns over breastfeeding mothers having to leave their babies at home while reporting for work.
“I was so worried that they left their children behind, breastfeeding children behind at home,” Shafique said.
She said the proposal was subsequently presented to the UN Country Team as part of efforts to support UNICEF’s advocacy for exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for up to two years.
Shafique said the UN Country Team embraced the initiative, which was developed over the past year with contributions from UN agencies and the staff association.
Yai-Fatou Gaye, Crèche Operational Manager and head of Abysina Montessori, assured mothers that their children would be cared for by trained personnel with experience in safeguarding, child protection and early learning.
“Every single mother can be assured that their child is safe,” Gaye said.
She added that the children would also benefit from Montessori-based learning activities designed to support their development.
Joy Michael, a mother and UNFPA Programme Specialist for Gender, described the facility as a welcome initiative that would help women balance their professional responsibilities with their breastfeeding and reproductive rights.
She called on government institutions, agencies and other employers to consider establishing similar facilities, arguing that breastfeeding-friendly workplaces could contribute to greater participation of women in the workforce.
The initiative also highlights provisions under The Gambia’s Women’s Act 2010, which provides employed women with six months of paid maternity leave and daily nursing breaks.
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