SABR: South African Breastmilk Reserve

The SABR is a public entity and true network comprising 17 human milk banks, 7 collection corners and partners in 8 of the 9 South African Provinces; our work is non-profit and for public benefit only. Over the last 8 years we have worked toward establishing viable human milk banking organisms aimed at supplying the premature infant in the NICU with safe donate breastmilk.

Our human milk-banking activity is highest in the Public sector hospital, all of our public hospital facilities are independent and generate their own milk supply. SABR functions as a support structure for equipment, training and top-ups of DBM when the collection cycle hits a low.

Our objective is to supply donated breastmilk to those infants who do not have access to Mothers-Own-Milk focusing primarily on the public sector baby. Donated breastmilk (DBM) is prescribed as an emergency procedure, to maintain healthy premature babies and healthy NICU environments.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE – a 360º approach to human milk banking

KEEPING IT FRESH AND CONNECTED

Our human milk banking system is indigenous to the South African health care landscape both public and private: it works! Our Humanitarian Franchising Model is adaptable to the various local setting: from rural, to urban, tertiary, secondary and private.

Netcare and our private partners work with us to ensure the sustainability of this model in the public sector. Two thirds of the private sector milk is redirected to public sector hospital and environments less rich in healthy breastmilk.

We make our team available and on wheels, to offer assistance within 24 hour across South Africa. We rely on you, our volunteer and coordinator platoons to give us feedback and support.

Let's be honest:

We are a resource intensive, service oriented non profit organisation, what that means is that we don't always have the means to get to all of our donors as fast and as efficiently as we would like to in that we run on skeleton resources and staff! We need you to meet us half way in our effort.

We would like to thank all those mommies who have supported, understood our constrains and climbed into their cars to get their breastmilk donation to us.

Those mommies who do not complain but insist and those mommies who have done a lot more then meet the call of duty. Thank you!

A thank you to all the health care professionals that have opened their minds and hearts to donate breastmilk and run successful human milk banks.

We would also like to thank all our sponsors for supporting our costly operation, we hope to have made you proud! (We know we did!)

To all our donors and volunteers

Thank you

Why are you here?

Because you are one of our awesome donors!

Because you would like to become an awesome donor!

Because you are one of our Champions here to join the Round Table - Association of Banks

Because you want to be part of the action and make a life saving contribution

Because you are a non SABR bank that would like to hook up with our network and benefit from the human milk banking experience of the Round Table. Welcome!

Why are we here?

This is a place where the South African and SADEC human milk banking communities join forces, it’s our online office, a meeting and exchange place, a place from where we can assist the growth of similar community driven initiatives.

This is a place where our moms, specialists and all those who feel a calling toward supporting infant survival can unite and sign up as BreastFriends – the social network. We hope to improve communication, service delivery and mother support by creating an environment where we are all friends, where we can ask questions and offer advise.

The Round Table - Association of Human Milk Banks

BreastFriends - The Network

As we represent the largest portion of the active South African human milk banking community, we wish to establish a platform for the fair and equitable representation of human milk banking priorities. The Round Table is an Association welcoming all SABR partners as well as grass routs project at all levels of human milk banking.

ARE YOU HUMAN MILK BANKING? DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HUMAN MILK BANK?

1. Sign up as an existing partner

2. New human milk bankers, sign up and attach your CV

3. Tell us a bit about yourself

4. Talk to us!

5. We will talk back

And because it is the mommies donating their breastmilk that are really doing is for us we need their voice and we need to support them and our volunteer in their efforts to make this community driven initiative live its objective.
If you are interested in what we do:

1. Sign up

2. Tell us a bit about yourself

3. Tell us how we can make this work together

4. We will talk back

DUDES AND DUDETTES!

Please sign up as the Round Table for the time being, and help us test our little system, please report any glitches to stasha@sabr.org.za or write on the WALL. We will rearrange members once both member areas are ready!

Thank you for your support.