Profile of WABA MWG Coordinator

Who Is Coordinator of WABA Men's Initiative ?
The appointment of James Achanyi-Fontem as Coordinator of WABA Men’s Initiative was made public by Co-Director Susan Siew on Thursday, 22 May 2008 at 14:52:40 +0800 in a mail to all members of the men’s working group and regional focal points.
James Achanyi-Fontem is a Senior Health Journalist and Communication Consultant. He is also a father of many children (3 Girls and 3 Boys). All of them were breastfed. As the first son of his family, he was breastfed for 36 months. James is also a grandfather. His two grandsons and one grand daugther were also exclusively breastfed.
James had worked as a health journalist and broadcaster for 30 years with the Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV, before retiring. He is now the National Coordinator of Cameroon Link, a registered charity, not-for-profit organisation,Cameroon Link, involved in the promotion of, community health, humanitarian assistance, socio-economic development, and human rights advocacy for the mother and the child.. He is current Chairperson of the Federation of Cameroon Breastfeeding Promotion Associations, FECABPA, and he also coordinates the IBFAN Cameroon Group activities. He triples as Coordinator of the anti-corruption committee of the Health District Hospital of Bonassama; Director of Publications of Cameroon Link Health Blog. He had held the positions of Editorial Advisor and Editor-in-chief of some five different national tabloid newspapers and magazines. James has been an active member of the Men’s Initiative, contributing to the Regional Snapshots project and through Cameroon Link publications done a tremendous amount of work on issues surrounding support and training for fathers and families.
James is setting the pace of the same level of enthusiasm and energy to the MWG and WABA work is in turn value-adding to and enhancing his work at Cameroon Link. As with all activities of working groups and task forces, WABA appreciates the synergies produced with individuals and organisations that are mutually beneficial.
WABA encourages all to join in welcoming James to the new exciting and challenging role of coordinating and facilitating the MWG. He needs the support and cooperation of all to move the MWG agenda forward. Revathi Ramachandran is the liaison person from the WABA Secretariat to support the MWG.
Answer To Call
In response to the call to join WABA’s team, the Men’s Initiative Coordinator sent the following to endorsers as his personal statement: « Can we doubt that the true function of the life of Lincoln’s mother was to give the world the man he became? We may have our present occupations, our present avocations and employments. We may have work to do today that receives all our devotion, and we may be doing that work well and with little selfishness, but it may not be the truly great function of this life.
We may find only at the close of life what our great function was, what we came into this incarnation to do, and how well we have succeeded without fully realizing it. But with most of us there will come a time when we will keenly realize that we must perform some other work or service as our true function.
With some, this may be but the work of an hour or less, while with others its may be something for a day or week or month; and with still others, the work may be that which will occupy some of their time for the remainder of their lives.
How shall we discover our function? By being prepared and ready to serve when the call comes and by being tolerant enough, broad enough, to pause at every door, stop at every call, listen to every plea, listening all the while to the still, small voice within.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declarations, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Its core partners are International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), La Leche League International (LLLI), International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Wellstart International and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). WABA is in consultative status with UNICEF and an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). To know more about WABA contact the following link:
WABA, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-658 4816 Fax: 604-657 2655
Email: waba@streamyx.com
Website:www.waba.org.my
For more on Cameroon Link, please click on the following link, http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.net/wbw2008/cameroon.htm