SABR

Mission Statement

To provide infants with safe pasteurised breastmilk and thereby improve their health and well-being.

To empower women living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS, through informed infant feeding choices.

Vision

To stimulate and support the formation of numerous community driven breastmilk banks so as to contribute towards a South Africa ‘living with HIV/AIDS’, rather than a South Africa ‘dieing of HIV/AIDS’.

SABR Background

SABR is an association registered under Section 21 of the Companies Act, registration number 2005\024165\08. The association adheres to the strictest principles of internationally accepted corporate governance and transparency. Audited financial results are published annually in the mainstream media and available to the public on request. SABR first financials, as a Non Profit Organisation, will be available with the end of financial year 2006.

SABR sees as its partners, the mother bank “iThembaLethu Breastmilk Bank” in Durban, iThembaLethu Human Milk Bank (Cape Town).

All three banks have been indorsed and partially sponsored by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). Other donors include Nampak, Clover, the Bersheba Foundation and Pixeljuice.

SABR aims to fulfil the following objectives.

1. Central funds and goods raiser.
2. Collection and distribution of breastmilk.
3. Facilitating the formation of new breastmilk banks.
4. Regulation of breastmilk banking through the development of umbrella policies and protocols to be implemented by all institutions rising under its auspices. Insuring optimal and safe breastmilk banking.
5. Education of mothers in infant feeding choices, focusing primarily on mothers living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS

Breastmilk Banking in South Africa

By 2010 South Africa will be the cradle of two million AIDS Orphans. IthembaLethu in Durban was born with the vision of providing a warm and loving environment for babies orphaned as a result of the AIDS Pandemic. The wonderful care this home provides focuses on offering the children excellent nutrition, in a loving environment.

When Musa arrived at the home malnourished and with chronic diarrhoea Dr. Anna Coutsoudis, whom initiated breastmilk banking in South Africa, realised that he would thrive if he were breastfed. Anna approached a friend who was expressing breastmilk and asked her to donate a few days supply. The results were remarkable and so the dream began. “Could we give all our babies breastmilk”?

Children affected by the HIV/AIDS virus are usually nutritionally vulnerable; providing them with breastmilk, which is nutritionally and immunologically superior to any other substitute, is central to their well-being.

Feeding a newborn child from the breast is the most natural act on earth. Not only does breastmilk provide the finest nutrition to promote growth, but it also contains everything for optimum health. The argument “Breast is Best” cannot be challenged and a baby that is fed breastmilk receives a start in life that is invaluable.

There is indisputable and documented evidence that breastmilk is superior nutrition for babies. SABR carries forward iThembaLethu’s vision and hopes to launch and support breastmilk banks nationally.

SABR: Our Crown Jewels

SABR is presently managing three projects.

SABR Johannesburg: breastmilk bank

SABR Johannesburg has been functioning to full capacity for two year. Our milk is collected, pasteurised and distributed according to demand. The Love of Christ ministry were one of our recipients. In our first year, we successfully breastfed six infants, the last three being twins Kenkezi and Thalita, and Tulani a baby born with a cleft palate. Today all three are thriving!

Our latest success stories have been those of Tsegofesta and baby Michael. Tsegofesta (meaning blessing) a baby girl born to an HIV positive mom, never benefited from breastfeeding; her mother was counselled against it. At one year the little girl weighed just over six kilograms and was herself diagnosed HIV positive. Tsegofesta gained 600 grams in the first two weeks of breastfeeding and 3 months later she had finally begun walking and talking, bringing hope to us all.

Michael is an eleven month old baby whom has been suffering from heart complications and had to endure multiple surgeries. Michael has been fed successfully on donated breastmilk and is thriving.

We collect breastmilk from donor moms, who are meticulously screened. Our containers are airtight and cannot be tampered with after sealing; the packaging was approved specifically for us by Clover. The milk is labelled, pasteurised and frozen. Milk banking has been practiced worldwide for over a century, and we follow accepted best practices.

SABRe Johannesburg is co-ordinated by Stasha Jordan, a UCT graduate currently completing her Masters degree. She is an experienced administrator, having worked with bodies such as the Independent Communications Authority of SA. Her milk bank initiative has been featured in Drum magazine, Rapport, the Beeld and SABC’s 3Talk.

Three years from its conception SABRe Johannesburg has successfully contributed to the lives of orphaned infants, established a solid network of health workers, donors and various stakeholders nation wide and received extensive media coverage. Since opening our doors, we have grown alongside our milk turnover and commitments. In 2003 we turned 500 bottles of breastmilk, in the months of April and May 2006, alone we turned 300 bottles of breastmilk. 2006 proposes to be a very exciting year, with milestone events trough out the year’s calendar. In August SABR will officially open its office doors at the Triba, mother and baby wellness centres, in Craighall Park. SABR has been incorporated into Triba’s Corporate Social Investment program. A second very important event will be the opening of an in-hospital breastmilk bank. SABR has committed toward raising enough funds for the opening of the in-hospital breastmilk bank and its running in the firs year.

We call on all pour sponsors and supporters to help and sustain SABR in its efforts to raise R 200 000.00, necessary to equip and manage the breastmilk bank. A break down of the costing is available on request. There are ample opportunities for fundraising through product endorsement campaigns as well as SMS fundraising in print media. These would prove beneficial to both SABR and sponsors as it would afford sponsors the opportunity to engage in the marketing of their brands through SABR values; SABR would in turn benefit from funds raised.

Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

The project has inspired the support of numerous doctors, midwifes, lactation consultant and mothers whom are eagerly waiting to take part in the promotion of breastmilk banking or the donation of breastmilk.

The Feed For Life Initiative

Feed For Life endeavours to offer mothers living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS, through the home pasteurisation of breastmilk, a second alternative to formula feeding.

The project will aim to empower women living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS through educated infant feeding choices, giving them access to information and support. One of the main objectives is that of achieving food security through the Pretoria Pasteurisation of breastmilk, rather than formula feeding. This infant feeding method will capitalise on breastmilk, offering mothers living in poverty the security of self-sustenance and most importantly, it will provide infants with the best and safest nutrition.

The Feed For Life Initiative sees as its main objective the reduction of infant mortality and morbidity associated with HIV infection and inappropriate formula feeding in poor settings.

In-Hospital Breastmilk Banks

SABR is presently engaging in talks with state hospitals to explore the possibility of opening in-hospital milk banks. The main objective will be that of addressing Necrotising Enter Colitis in premature infants. Hospital based breastmilk banks will also offer SABR a platform from where to reach mothers with Feed For Life and babies, with safe, donated breastmilk.

History of Human Milk Banks

Throughout history women have supplied infants with milk, where their own mothers have been unable to do so. After the industrial revolution however, wet nurses became difficult to find and the idea of human milk banking arose.

The first milk bank was set up in Vienna in 1909 and another soon followed, this time across the Atlantic at the Boston Floating Hospital in 1910. The latter used 2000 litres of milk within two years. Similar projects were soon launched in Germany and Russia.

In England the ‘Human Milk Bureau’ opened on 1 March 1939. Within three months, hundreds of babies’ lives had been saved. HMB was declared an institution of “international importance”.

Over the decades since the first milk bank was started, advances in the dairy industry helped milk banks develop protocols for the sterilising, pasteurising, storage and freezing of mother’s milk.

In 1943, the American Academy of Paediatrics published its first recommendation for operatic human milk banks. Human milk banking became common practice and by 1959, there were 100 milk banks in Germany alone.

The aggressive marketing of infant formula and the onset of the AIDS epidemic were the two factors responsible for the decline in human milk banks towards the end of the last century. Even though numerous milk banks had to close down due to the extra expenses incurred in the effort of containing the HIV/AIDS virus; in the UK it soon became apparent that the cost of implementing safety methods to prevent the transmission of AIDS was dramatically less than the cost of treating one premature baby with necrotising enter colitis.

There is increasing evidence that human milk plays a crucial role in the prevention of over 60 pathologies affecting human beings through-out life; childhood cancer, late onset diabetes and obesity are but a few.