By Maryanne W. WAWERU l maryanne@mummytales.com
Tr. Anyango is a Junior Secondary School (JSS) teacher at Ndhiwa Comprehensive School in Homa Bay County, teaching grades 7 – 9. She is also a new mother. Tr. Anyango has been facing various challenges pertaining to her responsibilities as a new mother, and her work.
“Sometimes when I’m in school, I’m told that my son is crying and doesn’t want to eat anything. When this happens, I have to ask for permission from the School Head to return home to breastfeed him before rushing back to school,” she says.
According to Tr. Anyango, many are the times when a mother has prepared herself to go to work in the morning, and at the last minute, the house help suddenly announces that she will not be reporting for duty that day or is quitting her job. This leaves the new mother completely stranded as she has no immediate alternative help that can step in on such short notice.
It also means that the mother has to call her employer to excuse herself from duty as she sorts out that emergency. Tr. Anyango says that many female teachers, including those who are breastfeeding, often find themselves in such predicaments.
It is these kinds of scenarios that Tr. Anyango and many other lactating female teachers face that inspired the Kenya Women Teachers Association (KEWOTA) to establish a breastfeeding parlour in the school.
Launched on 14 February 2025, the breastfeeding parlour is intended to support female teachers. The room is a safe space where they can comfortably breastfeed and interact with their babies while on their teaching breaks or when necessary, thereby enhancing their mental health and wellbeing while at work. This in turn helps them be more at ease as they focus on their duties.
The breastfeeding room at Ndhiwa Comprehensive School can comfortably host about 10 – 15 nursing mothers at any given time. This is able to cover all the teachers in the school who may need to use the facility.
The lactating mothers may opt to bring their child to work, or they can ask their house help to bring the child over when they are on a break from their lessons. In the room, they can comfortably nurse their babies before returning to class. Knowing that their babies are well fed, are resting well, and are generally well cared for in the room will give them peace of mind and thus significantly boosting their productivity at work.
Mercy Odhiambo, the KEWOTA Coordinator for Homa Bay County says that the establishment of the breastfeeding parlour at Ndhiwa Comprehensive School is a notable achievement. She says that KEWOTA, whose main mandate is to ‘work for the woman teacher’ has been advocating for such a facility as it will go a long way in addressing the challenges that female teachers with small babies face. She has urged school heads across the country to take up the same initiative, reiterating KEWOTA’s commitment to facilitate the establishment of the same in other schools.
Dulo Nedy, the Deputy Head Teacher at Ndhiwa Comprehensive School welcomed the initiative, saying that indeed, the breastfeeding parlour will be of immense benefit to lactating teachers at the school. She said that the comfort of knowing that their babies are around them will assist in their mental health.
In cases where they do not have a caregiver at home to watch over their babies, the Deputy Head Teacher said that the facility will help address this problem as the teacher will now be able to bring their child over to school and attend their lessons as required, while the baby is being cared for in the room.
This, she says, will reduce cases of absenteeism, especially in situations where teachers are left stranded when the house helps leave them stranded and they have to miss their lessons as they resolve the issues at home. She added that the benefits of the breastfeeding room will calm the teacher’s minds and ultimately enhance their output in school.
Information source: Nation
How does your workplace support new mothers? Is there a breastfeeding room? Does it offer flexible working arrangements? You can comment down below, or you can write to me at maryanne@mummytales.com with this information.
Mummy Tales by Maryanne W. Waweru is a platform dedicated to empowering its readers on different aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Read more motherhood experiences of Kenyan moms here. Connect with Mummy Tales on: FACEBOOK l YOU TUBE l INSTAGRAM l TWITTER
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