Love For Lukulu & Beyond
Mother's Milk
The Mother’s Milk programme came into being in September 2006 as a direct response to the critical needs of three orphaned babies at Lukulu District Hospital, whose mothers died in child birth. The Medical Superintendent at the Hospital at this time requested assistance from the Loreto Sisters as the hospital had no resources to buy milk for these babies. The Sisters initially responded with their own community funds and then from family and friends for the longer-term support of these babies. Because of this response the hospital subsequently sent other babies in critical need to the sisters for assistance and it became necessary to seek further external support as the cost of milk is high. It also became necessary to recruit some volunteers to assist with milk distribution at the Mission. An appeal was announced at Sunday Masses and two women, Regina Kabisiya and Shillary Monde responded. They distribute milk to enrolled babies and have been faithfully doing so every Tuesday morning since November 2006, without missing any week! Sr. is originally from Northern Ireland and came to Africa in 1985, she has been there ever since. The program itself has helped saved over thousands of babies since being founded.
Above Left: Shillary Monde (L) records the weight of a baby who has come for milk
Above Right: Regina Kabisiya (L) gives milk to the mother of Baby Frazia Chigengi
Sadly, two of the first babies (twins), the initiators of the programme, died after they were discharged from the hospital, even though they were sent back to their rural village near Luvusi with a supply of milk. Thus, when other babies were referred for milk from this same area, the sisters were reluctant to supply large quantities of milk for distant babies as there was no way of monitoring the progress of the babies or indeed proper use of the milk. When approached by Sr Pat, staff at Luvusi clinic agreed to distribute milk and monitor the progress of needy babies in that area, and thus the programme was initiated at Luvusi Rural Health Centre (RHC) as early as the beginning of 2007. Meanwhile staff at the local hospital continued to refer babies for assistance.
As success of the project became known health workers from a number of other Rural Health Centers also began to seek assistance for orphaned or vulnerable babies. It subsequently began at Lishuwa RHC (May 2007), Mbanga RHC (July 2007) and Simakumba RHC (October 2007), in addition to Luvusi. To function properly at these distant health facilities, it is necessary to have good record keeping and responsible staff as the milk has to be delivered in quantity for subsequent distribution to the babies. While the programme initially worked very effectively at Lishuwa, after a change in significant staff at the centre, the distribution was terminated there in 2017 due to maladministration. It was stopped in Mbanga in 2018 again due to a significant staff member leaving the site, although the need also seemed to have decreased there. To date, the programme has been operating since its inception in 2006 from the main distribution Centre at the Catholic Mission in Lukulu and the two other centres, Luvusi and Simakumba. Agatha Shimbali has been responsible for the programme in Luvusi since the beginning in 2007, and Musiywa Josiah since it began at Simakumba. Although Musiywa was transferred in early 2018, Brenda Muyela, a new staff member has reliably taken on the responsibility of the babies and the programme continues to be very effective at Simukumba.
Above Left: Brenda prepares for milk distribution to vulnerable babies at Simakumba
Rural Heath Centre, while mothers and babies wait.
Above Right: A mother receiving milk for her baby.
Over the years the milk programme has assisted in the region of 947 babies for longer or shorter periods, from birth up to approximately 18 months depending on individual needs; some 464 in total at Lukulu Mission, in the region of 134 at Luvusi, 175 at Simakumba, 130 at Lishuwa and 44 at Mbanga.
Due to the high costs of formula milk and the impoverished community which it serves this programme could not operate without the support of generous benefactors.
Each year the Loreto Sisters currently spend in the region of US $22,000 - $25,000 on formula for the support of the vulnerable babies. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the donors who make this possible.
On behalf of all the babies whom we assist
through the generous support which we receive
from ‘Love for Lukulu’, we thank you most
sincerely.
With much appreciation,
Sr Pat Hanvey IBVM
October 2019
Love for Lukulu and Beyond supports an average of 58% of the Mothers Milk Program funding each year.
