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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Uganda's neonatal mortality rate remains among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, sitting at approximately 27 deaths per 1,000 live births as of the most recent national health surveys. A considerable share of these deaths involves preterm and low-birthweight infants who are denied consistent access to mother's own milk (MOM) due to maternal illness, death, or insufficient lactation. In the absence of MOM, many facilities and families turn to infant formula, which carries well-documented risks of infection, necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), and developmental complications, particularly in preterm neonates whose immune systems are immature.
This proposal requests USD 50,000 in Global Grant funding from Rotary International to establish a functional Human Breast Milk Bank at Lubaga Hospital, one of Kampala's principal faith-based referral hospitals. The Rotary Club Kampala First Aid and Emergency Response will lead this initiative in partnership with Rubaga Hospital, which will provide the physical facility and human resources needed to operate the bank on an ongoing basis.
The milk bank will have the capacity to screen up to 100 breast milk donors per day, collect, pasteurize, and distribute safe donor human milk (PDHM) to preterm and vulnerable neonates whose mothers cannot provide adequate breast milk. Staff training, screening protocols, community donor outreach, and the procurement of cold-chain and pasteurization equipment will be funded through the grant, while Lubaga Hospital absorbs recurrent operational costs, ensuring long-term institutional sustainability.
The project directly advances Rotary's humanitarian mission and its Maternal and Child Health area of focus by targeting a preventable cause of neonatal mortality with an evidence-based, community-anchored solution.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The project is organized around four principal objectives:
1) Establish a sustainable network of human milk banks in Kampala, beginning with Lubaga Hospital as a pilot site that can be replicated across other facilities.
2) Promote and protect breastfeeding through community and hospital-based initiatives, including donor mobilization campaigns and lactation counselling.
3) Provide safe, pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) to preterm and vulnerable neonates when MOM is unavailable, ensuring access to evidence-based nutritional support regardless of maternal capacity.
4) Reduce infant mortality and morbidity associated with formula feeding by replacing formula with PDHM wherever clinically indicated and practically feasible.
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
Phase 1: Setup 1-4 months
Grant agreement finalization; procurement and importation of equipment; facility preparation at Lubaga Hospital; development of operational protocols and screening guidelines
Phase 2: Training 3-6 months
Staff training program delivery; orientation of laboratory and nursing staff; lactation counselor engagement; development of donor and recipient information materials in local languages
Phase 3: Pilot Launch 5-9 months
Soft launch of donor screening and milk collection; community outreach campaigns begin; first PDHM batches produced and quality-tested; initial recipient families enrolled
Phase 4: Full Operations 9-15 months
Full donor capacity mobilization (target 200 screenings/day); PDHM supply to neonatal ward; monthly quality audits; community sensitization sessions continue
Phase 5: Evaluation 15-18 months
Mid-term and end-of-project evaluations; data compilation; documentation of lessons learned; planning for replication at a second Kampala facility; final reporting to Rotary International
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