World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action

What World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action does

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is an international non-profit network organization founded in 1991 and headquartered in Penang, Malaysia. It functions as a global coordinating body for the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding, convening civil-society affiliates, health professionals, and partner institutions across more than 100 countries. WABA's primary constituents are local breastfeeding support groups, healthcare practitioners, and policy advocates engaged through programs such as World Breastfeeding Week (WBW), the Warm Chain of Support campaign, and the Empowering Parents Campaign.

WABA's core "products" are programmatic campaigns and training rather than commercial technology. These include World Breastfeeding Week (an annual themed campaign mobilizing 800+ local groups globally), the Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) course (a structured training program delivered to participants from 38 countries), the Warm Chain continuity-of-care model linking health facilities and community support, and a seed-grant mechanism that funds grassroots campaign work by affiliates. The underlying "technology" is institutional: WABA holds consultative status with UNICEF and Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC, and is embedded in long-standing partnerships with WHO, ILO, IBFAN, ILCA, LLLI, and ABM.

WABA's revenue model is typical of a small international NGO: a tiered affiliate membership-fee schedule (US$10–US$160 per year, indexed to World Bank country income classifications), individual donations, and seed/project grants from institutional funders. The organization operates with a small paid secretariat led by Executive Director Amal Omer Salim, with Dato Seri (Dr) Anwar Fazal serving as Chairperson Emeritus. Financials are not publicly disclosed, which constrains external analysis of scale and growth rate.

Name

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action

Legal name

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action

Website

https://waba.org.my

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action is a Malaysia-headquartered global non-profit network, founded in 1991, that coordinates breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support through campaigns, training, and partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, and grassroots affiliates in 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG), Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH) Programs (BPADAIAC), Breastfeeding, Lactation & Infant Feeding Support (EDACAMAB)

Keywords

• Breastfeeding advocacy
• Maternal child health
• Infant nutrition
• Public health campaigns
• Breastfeeding policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Penang

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Membership Dues: WABA generates revenue through annual membership dues from organizational and individual affiliates, categorized by World Bank country classification (High-income, Upper-middle income, Lower-middle income, Low-income countries).
2. Donations: WABA accepts financial contributions from supporters to fund programs and interventions that improve breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support worldwide.
3. Seed Grants Project: WABA provides financial incentives and grants for existing or new projects aligned with breastfeeding campaigns and sustainable development goals, functioning as both a program activity and potential funding mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WABA is a global non-profit network that coordinates international advocacy, campaigns, and capacity-building programs to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. It runs annual awareness campaigns such as World Breastfeeding Week, the Warm Chain of Support campaign, and the Empowering Parents Campaign; delivers training such as the two-week Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) Course; administers Seed Grants for aligned projects; and operates a searchable Resource Hub of 464+ advocacy, training, and policy materials for affiliates and partners worldwide.

Product overview

WABA is a non-profit global advocacy network, not a software/technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of advocacy campaigns, educational programs, and support services centered on breastfeeding protection, promotion, and support. Core offerings include: the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) annual campaign; the Warm Chain of Support campaign with stakeholder information cards; the Empowering Parents Campaign for workplace policies; the two-week Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) Course for health professionals; the Seed Grants Project for campaign-aligned initiatives; and a Technical Support service connecting users with experts. The Resource Hub provides searchable access to over 460 publications and resources. Affiliate membership offers network participation with tiered dues. These are advocacy/education services rather than software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• World Breastfeeding Week (WBW): Global campaign celebrated every 1-7 August to raise awareness and galvanise action on breastfeeding themes
• Warm Chain of Support for Breastfeeding
• Empowering Parents Campaign (EPC)
• Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) Course
• Seed Grants Project

Products and services

• World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) Global annual campaign held August 1-7 to raise awareness and galvanize action on breastfeeding-related themes, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals since 2016 and coordinated across 800+ local groups annually.
• Warm Chain of Support for Breastfeeding Campaign that places the mother-baby dyad at the core, linking actors across health, community and workplace sectors to provide continuum of care during the first 1000 days, with stakeholder information cards for healthcare providers, community members, and employers.
• Empowering Parents Campaign (EPC) Campaign promoting gender-equitable parental social protection that facilitates integration of parents' productive and reproductive work in formal and informal settings, including a PAW Chart advocacy tool showing leave and breastfeeding breaks by country.
• Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) Course Two-week residential course organized with the Infant Feeding Consortium (IFC) targeting senior health and allied health professionals, developing knowledge and skills to support mothers and babies and advocate for change; 8 courses held since 2007 with over 193 participants from 38 countries.
• Seed Grants Project Provides financial incentives for existing or new projects aligned with WABA campaigns linking breastfeeding to sustainable development; awards grants for Parent-Friendly Workplace initiatives, Warm Chain campaigns, and World Breastfeeding Week campaigns.
• Technical Support Service Offers access to expert knowledge across multiple areas of breastfeeding support. Users submit questions via form, select relevant expertise areas, and receive expert responses within 5 working days.
• Resource Hub Searchable database of over 464 resources including advocacy kits, newsletters, infographics, reports, videos, and publications spanning from 1990 to 2021, with filtering by resource type and year.
• WABA Affiliate Membership Membership program with organizational and individual affiliates providing network access, visibility, information updates, education discounts, and eligibility to nominate board members. Annual dues based on World Bank country classification (Categories A-D from $160/year for high-income organizations to $20/year for low-income), with a $750 lifetime option.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scaling up breastfeeding can prevent maternal deaths, child deaths, and reduce economic losses
• +3 more outcomes

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABM is a key partner working with WABA on breastfeeding medicine, policy, and advocacy. Collaboration includes the Understanding International Policy on HIV and Breastfeeding resource and joint work on the Warm Chain of Support campaign.
• International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBFAN is a global network working on infant feeding issues. Partners with WABA on the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi), and Formula for Disaster environmental analysis.
• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILCA is a key partner providing lactation expertise. Collaboration includes Warm Chain information cards, WABA Gender Assessment Practice Tool for IBCLCs, and the Maternity Protection Campaign Kit.
• La Leche League International (LLLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLLLI is a foundational partner for mother support. Collaborated with WABA on State of the Art Mother Support Summit 2007 and the Maternity Protection Campaign Kit.
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF holds consultative status with WABA. Collaboration includes Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, World Breastfeeding Week coordination, Golden Bow Initiative, and WABA-UNICEF Colloquium on HIV/AIDS.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO is a key partner for global health policy. Joint work includes Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, NetCode toolkit, and evidence-based guidelines.
• International Labour Organization (ILO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILO collaborates with WABA on maternity protection instruments (Convention 183, Recommendation 191) and workplace breastfeeding support policies.
• Alive & ThrivesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlive & Thrive provides technical expertise and toolkit resources for workplace lactation support programs, collaborating on breastfeeding advocacy.
• International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerICM contributes to the Warm Chain of Support campaign, providing midwifery expertise for breastfeeding support.
• White Ribbon AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite Ribbon Alliance partners on maternal and child health advocacy, contributing to breastfeeding support initiatives.
• Helen Keller International (HKI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHKI collaborates on nutrition and health programs related to breastfeeding and infant feeding.
• World VisionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Vision partners on child health and nutrition initiatives, supporting breastfeeding protection and promotion efforts.
• PATHsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPATH collaborates on health technology and innovation for maternal-child health and breastfeeding support.
• MenCaresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMenCare is a global fatherhood campaign partner, working with WABA on involving fathers in breastfeeding support and parental leave advocacy.
• Family InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Initiative contributes to the Warm Chain of Support campaign with expertise on father involvement in infant care.
• Every Woman Every ChildsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal movement partner supporting women's and children's health, including breastfeeding protection and promotion.
• 1000 Days PartnershipsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner1000 Days partnership focuses on nutrition during the critical first 1000 days, aligning with WABA's Warm Chain campaign.
• UNHCRsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR collaborates on breastfeeding support for refugee populations and displaced mothers.
• Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGBI contributes research and academic expertise to global breastfeeding advocacy efforts.
• Infant Feeding Consortium (IFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFC co-organizes the Breastfeeding Advocacy and Practice (BAP) course with WABA since 2007, developing participants' knowledge and skills for breastfeeding support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency for health; co-develops Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, NetCode, and evidence-based guidelines with WABA and operates as the dominant institutional voice on breastfeeding policy.
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): UN agency focused on children's rights and welfare; core WABA partner that co-implements WBW and the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, and is a far larger institutional actor in the same mission area.

Direct peers

• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA): Professional association supporting lactation consultants; core WABA partner that co-developed Warm Chain information cards and Maternity Protection Campaign Kit.
• 1,000 Days Partnership: Advocacy coalition focused on nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life; WABA partner that aligns with WABA's Warm Chain campaign and shares the maternal-child nutrition agenda.
• Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM): Global physician-led organization for breastfeeding medicine; core WABA partner collaborating on HIV/breastfeeding policy and the Warm Chain of Support.
• International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN): Global network focused on infant feeding and protection from inappropriate marketing of breastmilk substitutes; co-coordinates WBTi and Formula for Disaster with WABA, making it the most direct peer in breastfeeding advocacy.
• La Leche League International (LLLI): Foundational mother-to-mother breastfeeding support organization; core WABA partner that co-authored the State of the Art Mother Support Summit and Maternity Protection Campaign Kit.
• Global Breastfeeding Collective (GBC): Multi-stakeholder partnership led by WHO and UNICEF to increase global breastfeeding rates; WABA is a member, and GBC pursues overlapping advocacy and policy goals in the same constituency.

Regional players

• Helen Keller International: Global health organization addressing undernutrition and maternal-child health; WABA partner with operational programs in nutrition overlapping WABA's breastfeeding advocacy footprint.

Emerging players

• Alive & Thrive: Initiative focused on infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition; provides technical expertise and workplace lactation toolkits to WABA, representing a programmatically overlapping but more implementation-focused peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wabasecretariat
• Facebookfacebook.com/wabasecr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-alliance-for-breastfeeding-action
• Instagraminstagram.com/waba

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action