To Help Vulnerable Babies, This Organisation Asks Breastfeeding Mothers to Donate Their Extra Breast Milk

Breastfeeding mothers can contribute their extra breast milk to the iThemba Lethu organisation in Manor Gardens, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, which houses vulnerable, abandoned, and orphaned infants.

This program is called the Breastmilk Bank.

Twelve abandoned children were placed in the organisation’s transition home at Manor Gardens when it was first established in November 2000.

Professor Anna Coutsoudis, a well-known figure in the field, founded the first Community Breastmilk Bank in South Africa and promoted nursing as a global strategy to provide the youngest and most vulnerable members of society with the best nutrition possible.

According to the Voice of America (VOA), there is frequently heated discussion about whether it is safe for a woman to breastfeed in regions where HIV/AIDS is prevalent. Advocates claim that breastfed infants are typically far healthier than those fed powdered formula. However, detractors claim that breastfeeding causes thousands of HIV-positive infants to be born each year.

In actuality, using formula can be extremely dangerous, Coutsoudis said.

“You would only use it in a serious situation, such as HIV, I mean. Otherwise, formula feeding carries significant hazards that individuals are often unaware of,” she told VOA.

According to her, babies who use formula may get diarrhoea, which may be difficult to cure in underdeveloped communities. A baby’s intestinal tract may become irritated by formula, according to researchers, increasing the risk of infection.

A professor in the UKZN Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Coutsoudis is a public health scientist. She has written more than 100 peer-reviewed journal publications and conducted a great deal of research on HIV and nutrition, particularly breastfeeding. The WHO’s guidelines on HIV and infant feeding were shaped in large part by her study. In the past, Coutsoudis presided over the WHO Child and Adolescent Health Unit’s Technical Steering Committee.

A comprehensive school-based mentorship and life skills program has been developed by the organisation. By offering leadership development, literacy treatments, and psychological support, this program seeks to empower students in a school with limited resources. The hard-working staff at iThemba Lethu nurtures the next generation of leaders by assisting students in their academic endeavours, said the organisation.

Sources:

https://www.ecr.co.za/shows/carolofori/ithemba-lethu-fundraising-event-aaron-mcilroy/

https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2003-12-04-39-ithemba-67296187/269524.html

Editor: Thato Mahlangu

Project manager: Do4SA