Alyssa Marie Foundation

ATTA Breastmilk Community (ATTA) is registered as a limited-by-guarantee not-for-profit organisation in Uganda called the Alyssa Marie Foundation. ATTA screens potential donor mothers for diseases that can transfer through breast milk, then collects and dispenses donor human milk to frail newborns who do not have access to their mothers' own milk but require breast milk to survive and thrive. Our vision is a world where all newborns have the breastmilk they require to survive and thrive regardless of their mother's ability to provide it at that time. We believe in equitable access to donor milk, and as such, our donor milk is free of charge at the point of access, particularly for those who need it the most. Our future model is to operate on a cost-recovery basis. The World Health Organisation recommends that the next best thing when a mother’s milk is not available is donated breast milk from another mother, especially when the baby is born underweight, premature, or sick.

At the core of ATTAs operations is care, equity, transparency, innovation and safety.

• Care: Compassion, empathy and respect guide our interactions with all who are touched and influenced by our work.

• Innovation: We rely on collaborative and evidence-based efforts to advance breast milk banking processes and systems to achieve optimum safety and quality.

• Equity: We are committed to expanding access and prioritizing those most in need.

• Safety: We protect health through adherence to the highest possible standards of screening, processing, , and ethical sourcing of donor milk.

• Transparency: We consistently strive for the highest level of integrity, ensuring that all stakeholders have informed choice and consent. We also perform annual audits and have had unqualified reports.

Background:

Uganda has 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is considerably above global targets and has not changed much in 20 years. Many mothers in the greater Kampala area, who undergo Caesarean-section births, experience complications during vaginal birth or in situations when a new-born has inter-uterine complications, some of which result in prematurity, sickness, low birth weight, poor maternal mental health or death, early breastfeeding initiation is low and often a challenge. Prematurity, birth complications and low birth weight are major drivers of this death rate, and in these situations, the benefits of breastmilk are even greater than in a healthy baby born full term. ATTA ensures that the newborn, with parents’ consent, has access to screened donor breastmilk from mothers trained in milk handling. We advocate for the benefits of breastfeeding, breastmilk and the role of donor milk banking. Public engagement and educational activities for health workers are also underway. We align with the WHO, NICE guidelines and national infant feeding policy to support the health system. Our team includes a neonatologist, physician, lactation consultant and a paediatrician, and all have lived experiences relating to birth trauma, prematurity and milk donation, including in the context of bereavement.

History and Current Operations:

Since its inception in 2021, ATTA has dispensed over 840 litres of donor breast milk, which has been received from over 165 donor mothers, and shared with 500 newborn babies in need of this milk. We firmly believe that because of the work being done by our committed team and the generous support of not only the donor mothers onboarded onto the platform but the general public at large, ATTA has been able to save the precious lives of newborn recipients. In addition to providing donated breastmilk to in-need babies, ATTA has trained over 140 healthcare workers in delivering knowledge and necessary skills in catering for newborn nutrition and the advantages of donated breastmilk.

Funding:

ATTA benefits from the generosity of funders through crowdfunding of one-off and regular donations from individuals. We have also received funding from both local and international organisations, totalling $150,000.

Sustainable Development Goals:

The WHO emphasises that breastfeeding addresses several climate and environmental issues and supports many of the sustainable development goals. This low-cost intervention is especially crucial in low income countries where there may be many barriers. Breastfeeding speaks more specifically to the following goals.

Goals 1 – No poverty – it costs very little to ensure a mother is able to nourish her baby with breast milk whenever possible.

Goal 3- Good Health and Wellbeing - There are health benefits for both mother (reduction in chances of ovarian and breast cancer) and baby (lower risk of hospitalisation during the perinatal period and future health)

Goal 7 and 14 – Clean and Affordable Energy – Breastfeeding does not require any form of cooking fuel and is thus good for the environment.

Future:

The success of ATTA will be evidenced by a sustainable model of human milk banking with high levels of community awareness, a steady supply of donated milk and logistics to support the transfer of this milk to the babies who need it most, free or highly subsidised at the point of access. Through engagement and empowerment, there will be a greater understanding at the community level of the benefits of breastmilk and a desire to contribute to this healthcare intervention. We are dedicated to influencing legislation to support and uphold overall maternal and neonatal health. Milk donations will be as well established and acceptable as blood donations. The most recent demographic Health Survey indicates high mortality beyond the immediate neonatal period, with infant mortality at 42 per cent. We are working to ensure that in the next few years, we will have transformed cultural attitudes so that every parent can access empathetic support through trained counsellors or peer networks.

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 an identifier of the brand, 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 (daughter of the founder who died three days postpartum)and all the other little angels lost.