GOT BREAST MILK?
Posted by Lauren Fischer on July 30th 2009 in Organizations
Every day, around 1,500 people in South Africa become infected with HIV. This epidemic has led to about 1.4 million orphans in South Africa alone. Many of these young children are malnourished and are in desperate need of care. Jill Youse, founder of the International Breast Milk Project (IBMP), is here to help.
To date, IBMP has sent 65,000 bottles of breast milk to South Africa. This amount of “liquid gold,†as Youse calls it, has the ability to feed 2,188 babies for a month. If you do the math, it’s easy to see that there’s still a need for milk. Youse and two thousand other mothers are determined to meet this demand.
The idea of donating milk first came to Youse after her daughter was born and she had a freezer full of breast milk. Not wanting the food to go to waste, she turned to Google. Youse soon found an orphanage in South Africa that needed donor milk. After personally sending her milk to Durban, South Africa, Youse had no idea that her actions would turn into an international nonprofit.
“I didn’t think, ‘Oh I’m going to go start a nonprofit organization and start a worldwide movement. I just thought, ‘This is a simple solution. I have a whole lot of something, and here’s this baby that has nothing. Certainly this is least I can do,’†says Youse.
News of this unique donation quickly spread, and mothers started calling Youse asking where to send their milk. When the Oprah show called and left a message on her cell phone Youse didn’t believe it. “I didn’t return their call because I thought it was my best friend playing a joke. When I got the second message I looked at the area code and thought, ‘I better call back.’ And it was a good thing that I did,†Youse explains. After Oprah gave her approval of IBMP, the 10 donating mothers turned into 1,500, the IBMP website quit functioning and Youse’s inbox was overwhelmed with new inquiries.
Since then, Youse has seen the powerful effects donor milk can have. In addition to providing life-saving benefits to infants, Youse has found that donating milk affects the mothers as well. “I’ve had moms that have lost their babies, tell me that donating milk had given them a little bit of hope to get them through to the next day. It’s just another reason why we need to make sure that people can donate breast milk.â€
To increase its impact IBMP partnered with Prolacta Bioscience to screen and process all the incoming milk donations. IBMP also partnered with Quick International Courier, a global priority transportation and logistics company, which now donates all of the logistics, distribution and shipping to Africa.
In order to foster sustainable change IBMP has created relationships with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and milk-banks in South Africa. IBMP meets the immediate needs of a struggling community by supporting the milk bank until it can function on its own and meet milk demands locally. Ultimately, Youse would like milk banks function solely on the donations of local mothers. If a community is too rural to support a milk bank, IBMP sends milk directly to that community.
IBMP has made great strides thanks to the publicity of major news outlets and the generosity of their partners, but the high cost of screening donor milk has caused delays. IBMP cannot take any more donor applications this year. Youse says, “There’s clearly more of a demand to donate than we can accommodate.â€
However, there are still ways for moms to help. Youse says the best way for IBMP to expand and for people to get involved is to raise awareness and funds. For those of you who are not going to be breast feeding anytime soon, there are ways for you to help as well. Currently, IBMP has a staff of one – Jill Youse. IBMP could use interns, a brochure design, and help with press releases and social media. Youse is also considering starting an advisory panel of young women who will be mothers in a couple years.
If you’re looking to make change or start your own organization, Youse has wise words of advice: “The answer for you, if you want to change the world and do something, you already have it. It’s something that you have an abundance of and it’s something you know so well. … I would just encourage people to see what’s already there in front of them.â€
International Breast Milk Project
*International Breast Milk Project is not a member bank of the HMBANA
July 31st, 2009 at 8:07 am
What a great concept! Such an amazing woman! she took a simple idea and turned it into a life-saving organization! Inspiring! Nicely written article too!
July 31st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Thank you very much! Beautifully written and honored to be a part of this project!
August 7th, 2009 at 9:41 am
The article explains it all very well. I am still in awe of how Jill Youse made this happen. I hope more people read this article and consider becoming a donor. Thank you Jill!
August 7th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Thank you for writting such a great article. I am very proud to be part of such an amazing project!
August 7th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Thank you Jill! What a worthy cause. I love this project!
August 7th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Such a nice article. The photos are brilliant and the concept even brighter. Bravo to women making a choice to do something remarkable.
August 7th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
What a wonderful article and I am so excited Jill and her project has been honored! As a new volunteer to the project I have been so thrilled to find out that Jill and everyone involved are such passionate and amazing people. Such an inspiration!
August 7th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
This is great! Get the word out. This is a wonderful organization. I only wish they could take more new donors this year!
August 7th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
What a great article.Thank you for recognizing a true “hero”. The goal of every human being should be to make the world a better place. Youse…mission accomplished.
August 9th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
As a donor that lost my 3 month old daughter to SIDS, I am honored to be a part of IMBP. Jill is an amazing woman who has helped so many babies survive.
August 9th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I am from South Africa and am a Lactation Consultant. I have visited the facilities in Durban and Cape Town and actually played with the toddlers in the AIDS orphanage. Every Mother and Grandmother would immediately be so impressed at how healthy and smart these little toddlers have become thanks to Donor Breastmilk. Jill has done a wonderful job by establishing this program and we only hope that there will soon be a way that more breastmillk can become available to send to these orphanages.
August 11th, 2009 at 7:48 am
There is nothing more important then preserving and maintaining human life. Becoming a mother makes that all the more real. Having the opportunity to give and preserve life in another way by donating breastmilk is such an incredible gift. I am completely inspired to not only donate breastmilk but to help take this project to another level.
August 15th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
What a great organization. Your truly making a difference in these childrens lives, and the world. Thank you for your beautiful vision.
August 15th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
What a great organization. Your truly making a difference in these childrens lives, and the world. Thank you for your beautiful vision.
August 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
The article mentions that they need interns. What does this look like? I live close to Prolacta Bioscience (in Monrovia, CA), but would there be need for interns there? I would like to help! Please contact me at sbrownjackson05@aol.com if you have any info on how I can help!
Thank you,
Sarah Jackson
August 18th, 2009 at 8:29 am
When my son was born my milk failed to come in. I cried for days thinking I would not be able to fee my son because I know how good breast milk is for babies. I am happy to report that after diligent pumping, I have two freezers full of breast milk and my son is a very healthy and breastfeed boy.
I was hoping to donate my extra milk but IBMP stopped accepting new applications from mothers. Where else can I give?
New York, NY
August 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Nicely put!! This was a great way for me to give a little back. I was a donor for just under a year. The process was so easy. It’s a great feeling to know you are helping others in need. To the mom (Emily) who lost her baby to SIDS, I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for the strength to do something wonderful for others. You are very special.
May 11th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Wow, awesome read. I just now stumbled on your website and am already a fan.