Where have you sent milk in the past and what are you doing now?
IBMP is an international humanitarian aid organization dedicated to finding solutions to help infants in urgent need get donor milk.
We are currently working around the clock on preparations for an emergency shipment to Haiti to help infants who need donor milk to survive.
By the end of 2009, IBMP donors provided over 64,800 bottles of breast milk to help infants in need. Our December 2009 shipment went to our partner banks, Milk Matters, a hospital-based milk bank in Cape Town, and iThembaLethu, an orphan home and milk bank in Durban.
In 2009, in collaboration with UNICEF, IBMP provided an emergency shipment to the Philippines after typhoon Ondoy in October 2009.
How was milk distributed in Africa?
We believe that the physicians, medical directors, and staff on the ground at our partner hospitals and orphan homes are best able to determine who should receive the donor milk and for how long. We ask that our partners provide us with periodic reports to help us track the impact of this life-saving gift. For more information on our research, please check out our Impact Project.
How is the milk stored in Africa?
The Global Cold Chain Alliance, working through three member companies of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), have teamed up to help International Breast Milk Project safely store frozen donor breast milk for infants affected by HIV/AIDS, malnourishment, disease, and poverty in Durban and Cape Town, South Africa. The milk is stored at temperature-controlled cold storage facilities until checked out by local medical staff.
What percent of milk went to Africa in 2009?
At least 25% of milk donated through the December 2009 shipment went to infants in South Africa, with a small portion going toward the emergency shipment to the Phillipens after the catastrophic typhoons. The milk that was not applied toward the international shipments was processed by Prolacta to make the only available human milk fortifier made from 100% human milk, H2MF, for premature and critically ill babies in neonatal intensive care units in the U.S. For every ounce that remained in the U.S., Prolacta provided at least $1 to IBMP. These funds helped IBMP to operate and fund long-term health care solutions in Africa, including local milk banking. This partnership helped moms provide milk for infants in need in around the world and at home, a win-win situation.
Moms who donated to the project were required to check a box saying that they understood that 75% of donated milk would remain with Prolacta for critically-ill infants in the U.S.
Visit our How it Works diagram that further illustrates the process.
What is Human Milk Fortifier?
Human milk fortifier is intended for premature and low-birth-weight infants in the NICU. It is a nutritional supplement that is added to a mother's expressed breast milk or to donor milk, and contains calories and proteins specific to the needs of critically ill and premature infants. Human milk fortifier is critical to meet the nutritional needs of premature infants.
There are two types of human milk fortifier: bovine (cow)-based fortifier, and 100% human milk based fortifier.
Prolacta is the only company that produces human milk fortifier made from 100% human milk. This product is H2MF.
Currently, most premature infants are fed bovine (cow) based fortified milk using products made by formula companies. Premature babies can become intolerant to these preparations. Prolacta's human milk fortifier, H2MF, is the first and only fortifier made from 100% human milk.
Prolacta's human milk fortifier is concentrated up to 10 times, in other words, 10 ounces of milk produces one ounce of fortifier.
Does International Breast Milk Project support local milk banking in Africa?
What are some websites that criticize International Breast Milk Project? Are they accurate?
We encourage you to read through any blogs that criticize International Breast Milk Project and it and compare the information you find with our up-to-date FAQs and website.
We greatly appreciate and encourage continued feedback and invite your direct questions as it allows us the opportunity to improve. We are always piloting new programs, conducting focus groups and surveys and asking you for your opinion and ideas.
We invite anyone to contact us if in need of clarification. We are happy to answer any question and embrace all opinions. If a question does not exist on our site, we will post your question and our answer. We believe in transparency and embrace respectful discussions.
We also invite and encourage old blogs to be updated with current, accurate information.
We are a fluid, flexible organization. We are open to change and believe that the best way to provide the best service is to ask for criticism and feedback and to regularly review and evaluate our programs and business model. So please, let us know what you think and help us grow.
What are some websites/organizations that recognize International Breast Milk Project?
The Oprah Winfrey Show featured International Breast Milk Project founder Jill Youse.
ABC World News has featured the organization 3 times, including recognizing Jill Youse as their Person of the Week in October 2007.
Good Morning America, Time.com, Foreign Policy Magazine, Women's Health, Fit Pregnancy, New York Daily, NEED Magazine and numerous other media have recognized International Breast Milk Project.
Charities Review Council awarded IBMP their highest available ranking for financial accountability, governance, public disclosure, and fundraising practices.
Social Venture Partners recognized IBMP for social entrepreneurship and innovation.
Countless moms have twittered and blogged about their IBMP donor experience. We love Teensygreen's recent blog that highlighted Salma Hayek's recent bravery in nursing an infant in Africa.
Does IBMP charge a processing fee or any other fees to the hospitals, milk banks or orphan homes in Africa?
Does anyone profit off of the International Breast Milk Project milk?
- International Breast Milk Project is a federally registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. As such, funds generated must be invested back into the organization's mission to create awareness of the need for donor human milk, mobilize donors and provide donor human milk to infants in need.
International Breast Milk Project was recently awarded the prestigious Charities Review Council seal of approval by earning top ranks in the Council's rigorous accountability assessment. The assessment addresses a nonprofit organization's performance in four critical areas: Public Disclosure, Governance, Financial Activity and Fundraising. We demonstrated our responsibility, integrity and transparency to our donors and constituents by earning top ranks in this program.
Prolacta, the company that processed our milk through 2009, is a small, start-up bioscience company. Like any for-profit company, they hope to make a profit off of their products and research. Prolacta has not made a profit to date; however, the hope is that there is enough profit in the future for Prolacta to continue to increase their support of the programs that benefit infants around the world through donor breast milk.
Will milk that remained in the U.S. with Prolacta be sold for $35/ounce?
- No. The milk that was not applied to our 2009 international shipments will be used to make human milk fortifier for critically ill and premature infants. Prolacta produces the only fortifier made from 100% human milk, H2MF, for critically ill infants in the NICU. The fortifier is used to supplement a mother's own milk. Like many products in the NICU, the cost of human milk fortifier is expensive. Prolacta's human milk fortifier is only supplied to hospitals and the NICUs. This human milk fortifier is administered in the NICU, under the medical care of neonatologists and only available via prescription.
Prolacta does not sell H2MF by the ounce, since it is added to a mother's own milk or to donor milk through feeding tubes in the NICU. Costs begin at approximately $100 per day per baby.
Why did International Breast Milk Project allow any of the donated milk to remain in the U.S. for use by a for-profit company?
Our past partnership with Prolacta helped us provide over 65,000 bottles of donor milk to infants in need around the world. Prolacta's expertise in milk collection, testing, and processing made them an ideal partner for us and helped us make a difference in the lives of infants in need through donor breast milk.
In addition, this partnership helped moms provide milk for infants in need in around the world and at home, a win-win situation. It also maximized our operational efficiency and potential to fund local healthcare initiatives in Africa, including local milk banking. In just three years, IBMP has granted over $184,000 to orphan homes, health care centers and milk banks in Africa.
How is the breast milk shipped safely to Africa? Who is Quick International Courier?
Quick International Courier, a Manhattan based priority transportation and logistics company with offices throughout the world, has again and again generously donated the transport of the milk to South Africa. Quick has been involved with IBMP for two years and is an instrumental partner in the project due to their expertise with the transportation and logistics of life-critical and time-sensitive items. They ensure the safe transport of the milk from start to finish.
How much did it cost Prolacta to donate the collection, processing, safety testing and shipping services?
The cost for Prolacta is very expensive, and can average approximately $600-$1000 per donor.
Other milk banks may spend a different amount per donor because they collect and process milk for different purposes.
Do the non-profit milk banks that serve the US sell a human milk fortifier, and if so how much does it cost?
The non-profit milk banks that serve the US sell non-fortified human milk and they would need to be contacted directly regarding price, since the milk banks may vary. Prolacta sells a human milk fortifier derived from 100% human milk. Prolacta's human milk fortifier is concentrated up to 10 times, in other words, 10 ounces of milk produces one ounce of fortifier and costs around $100 per baby per day. Generally, non-fortified donor milk is around $3-$4 per ounce. Cost comparisons of non-fortified milk and fortified milk is like apples to oranges. They are different product intended for different patients.
How is fortifier administered?
Is it true that Prolacta has profited millions of dollars from donor milk?
No. Since Prolacta was established in 1999, the company's commercial sales to date have been less than $1 million dollars, and it has invested over $13 million dollars in research and development to improve the standard of care for critically ill infants.
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