The Health Services Management of Fuerteventura, under the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, is commemorating World Breastfeeding Week 2026. To mark the occasion, the island's healthcare facilities' breastfeeding rooms have been decorated with drawings by students from the first cycle of Primary Education. The aim is to humanize these spaces and convey a message of welcome, respect, and support to families during maternity and childcare.
World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated from August 1st to 7th under the theme ‘Breastfeeding for a sustainable start to life: let’s strengthen what works’, is promoted by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with UNICEF. This commemoration seeks to promote the protection, support, and normalization of breastfeeding, recognizing it as a key public health intervention for infant and maternal health.
The illustrations now adorning the breastfeeding rooms are works submitted by children to a competition organized last year by the Official College of Nursing of Las Palmas, in collaboration with the School Nursing Program of the Canary Health Service (SCS). These drawings have been loaned for the initiative, bringing a child's perspective to spaces designed to support families during the early stages of childcare.
The Health Area of Fuerteventura maintains a consolidated strategy to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding, offering humanized care based on scientific evidence, focused on the needs of mothers, newborns, and their families.
This commitment was reaffirmed on October 10, 2025, when the Health Management of Fuerteventura received accreditation as the first IHAN (Initiative for the Humanization of Childbirth and Breastfeeding) island in the Canary Islands. This recognition, jointly awarded to the General Hospital of Fuerteventura and the six health centers of the Health Area, highlighted the efforts of the Management, institutions, and healthcare professionals in providing care during pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early childhood.
Additionally, the Health Services Management of Fuerteventura has been designated a Centre Committed to Nursing Excellence® (BPSO®), an international recognition that validates the implementation of evidence-based best practices, including the Best Practice Guide on Breastfeeding, reinforcing the organization's commitment to continuous improvement in care quality.
