The Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) programme is aimed at drawing attention to the impact that feeding practices have on the nutritional status, growth and development, health and, ultimately, on morbidity and mortality of infants and young children. The IYCF programme focuses on interventions concerned with the optimal feeding of children below the age of two years.
Breastfeeding is one of the key strategies of child survival that Zambia focuses on. IYCF Operational Strategy (2006-2010) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life and continued breastfeeding up to 2 years or beyond with adequate and safe complementary feeding as the best feeding practice.