Best diversity, equality and inclusive initiative – one of two winners in our Moving Mountains Micro Awards as of Inspire Launch Grow 2024. Overview ATTA Breastmilk Community has over the past 3 years supported breastmilk donation to over 400 frail newborn babies whose life or quality of life would otherwise have been affected by the absence of human milk. The WHO recommends the next best thing when a mother’s milk is not available is donated breast milk from another mother. Founder: Tracy Ahumuza The story In April 2021, a personal tragedy transformed my life and ignited a mission within me. My firstborn, Alyssa, passed away only three days after her birth, a heartbreak that revealed a critical gap in my country’s healthcare system —the lack of a formal, structured system for breast milk donation. This realisation led me to establish the ATTA Breastmilk Community, named in memory of my daughter, with a vision to ensure equitable access to safely donated breastmilk for all newborns who need it, particularly those born too soon, too sick or too small. The journey began with understanding the dire need for a safe and sustainable solution to milk sharing, which, until then, occurred on an informal and ad hoc basis. This informal system posed risks to vulnerable infants. In the past three years, our focus at ATTA, which is an acronym combining the initials of a mother and daughter and sounds like a derivative of the word “amata”, meaning milk, in Luganda, a widely spoken language in Uganda, has raised awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and the critical role of donor milk banks. Through sharing my story and the impact of ATTA, we have collected and dispensed 600 litres of donor human milk to over 400 newborn babies with the help of financial donations from individuals and organisations. Every potential donor is rigorously screened for diseases that could transfer through human milk to ensure the safety of the milk provided to the infants most in need. This process not only supports the health of the babies but also aligns with the World Health Organisation and national infant feeding policies. We are currently working towards setting up the country’s first community-led donor human milk bank. We engage the public through educational social media posts, health workers, and peer mothers' training on how to support, promote, and protect breastfeeding. The ATTA team is comprised of healthcare professionals and parents with lived experiences of loss and milk donation during times of grief and birth trauma, including a neonatologist, physician, lactation consultant, counsellor, and paediatrician. They work tirelessly to support donor and recipient families. Our commitment extends beyond health; it touches on fostering diversity, equality, and inclusion. By providing a platform that supports all mothers regardless of their socio-economic status, we hope to break barriers to healthcare access. ATTA actively promotes inclusion by ensuring that every mother who wishes to donate or needs donated milk feels welcomed, valued, and supported. Our logo is the most visible element of our identity. It is not just an identifier of the brand but also an ode to our foundations and a celebration of our hopes. The icon is a combination of a mother feeding a baby wrapped in a drop - of milk. The baby and the mother are intentionally duotone to signify the generous donors who share their love, time, funds, affection and breastmilk with babies they do not know or might never meet. The icon of the baby has wings not only as a celebration of innocence but also as a recognition of Alyssa Taha and all the other little angels lost. Tracy Ahumuza is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar in the Climate Leadership Programme, studying Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Visit the ATTA Breastmilk Community website This article was published on 2024-07-01
