Home
Search

Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group

During emergencies such as earthquakes, conflict or floods, children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, illness and death. They are highly dependent on their caregivers, their immune systems are developing, and their bodies and brains depend on good nutrition for healthy growth and development. In emergencies, Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) is a life-saving intervention. Infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth, breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and continue to be breastfed up to two years of age and beyond. Starting at six months, breastfeeding should be combined with safe, age-appropriate feeding of solid, semi-solid and soft foods.

The IFE Core Group

Global Thematic Working Group

The Infant Feeding in Emergencies (IFE) Core Group is a global collaboration of agencies and individuals that formed in 1999 to address policy guidance and training resource gaps hampering programming on infant and young child feeding support in humanitarian contexts. The IFE Core Group works to develop guidance and resource materials; documents lessons learned and builds capacity to ensure more effective infant and young child feeding (IYCF) support in emergency contexts (IYCF-E). 

The IFE Core Group is coordinated by the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN). Current members of the Group include ACF, ADRA, CDC, CGBI, CHEERing, Concern Worldwide, Eleanor Crook Foundation, ENN, Global Nutrition Cluster, Goal, IBFAN, IMC, IOCC, IRC, MSF, SafelyFed Canada, Samaritan’s Purse, Save the Children, UNHCR, UNICEF, USAID, USAID/OFDA, WFP, WHO, World Vision, and several independent individuals.

Latest IFE Core Group update

During the last quarter of 2022, the IFE Core Group held its annual meeting remotely, and its 2023 workplan is under development. 

New resources include:

Two webinars were organized in this quarter: 'Learning & Sharing Cafe: Preventing and managing inappropriate donations of BMS' and 'WHO/UNICEF IYCF Indicators: Challenges and opportunities in humanitarian contexts'.

 

For more information on any of the activities highlights or if you would like to enquire about joining the IFE Core Group, please contact IFE Core Group Facilitator 

Dima Ousta

ife@ennonline.net

Key Resources

IYCF-E Additional Resources

Subscribe

to receive GNC newsletters