Giving Digest: Mothers Helping Mothers
In Kampala, Uganda, a growing network of breastmilk donors is quietly saving fragile newborn lives through the ATTA Breastmilk Community, an initiative founded in 2021 by Tracy Ahumuza after her own painful experience of needing milk support and finding none. Today, ATTA receives urgent calls from homes and hospitals for babies born too soon or too sick to breastfeed and has supported more than 450 babies with over 600 liters of donated milk from 200+ mothers since July 2021. Donors are screened and guided on safe handling, milk is stored and delivered (often by motorcycle courier), and lactation specialists work alongside mothers to help them build their own supply, freeing up milk for the next family in crisis, even as demand continues to outpace supply due to testing and storage costs and limited access to freezers.