Introducing: World Milksharing Week!!!!!

In early March 2011, the administrators for Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network were busy nurturing their local communities and working tirelessly, cultivating a subtle paradigm-shift across the world.

Amidst the day-to-day running of our network there was a sudden flurry of activity and excitement as Victoria Gensheimer, the admin for the state of Kentucky, proposed the idea of launching a world-wide milksharing week event. At that time HM4HB spanned more than 40 countries and had over 15,000 supporters around the world. The success of the network made it obvious that families wanted access to human milk if they were unable to provide breastmilk for their babies. Victoria's proposal of launching World Milksharing Week, to both celebrate milksharing and raise awareness about human donor milk, was nothing short of the perfect "next project".

HM4HB volunteers remained busy, fostering community among the members of their pages, but the 'World Milksharing Week' seed had been planted and it continued to be brought up during discussions centred around our vision for the network. Finally, in May 2011, a group of volunteers came together to bring this wonderful idea to fruition.

On July 3, 2011, Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network excitedly announced the launch of the first ever World Milksharing Week, to be held from September 24-30, 2011, all around the planet. World Milksharing Week will be held annually during the last week of September, to celebrate milksharing and to promote human milk as the biologically normal nourishment for babies and children.

http://www.worldmilksharingweek.org/p/home.html  


Wanna know how YOU can participate and encourage others to join in?  Here are some a action ideas to support milksharing week and milksharing.  Wanna Host an Event?  Let us know all about it so that we can add your event to our global events listing

ACTION IDEAS TO HOST AN EVENT 

Online: 

• Make a blog post. 
• Host a discussion. 
• Invite donors and recipients to share their story. 
• Share evidence-based information about milksharing. 
• Share information about at-breast supplementers. 

In your community: 

• Have a picnic. 
• Organize a nurse-in. 
• Plan a party! 
• Share your story as donor or recipient. 
• Organize a walk to raise awareness about milksharing. 

For Health Care providers: 

• Support your milksharing clients. 
• Provide evidence-based information. 
• Connect your milksharing clients so they can support each other. 
• Mention donor breastmilk as a healthy option for infant feeding.
• Share information about at-breast supplementation. 

ACTION IDEAS TO SUPPORT MILKSHARING WEEK 

• Share the news: blog about it, tell your friends. 
• Promote it by using the flyers that can be found here. 
• Submit images and share the images you and others have created. 
• Advertise events.
• Host an event.
• Attend events.

ACTION IDEAS TO SUPPORT DONORS 

• Be appreciative 
• Be respectful of their time 
• Ask how you can help with the cost of the supplies
• Make them a part of your life, they would love to hear about your baby!

ACTION IDEAS TO SUPPORT RECIPIENTS 

• Support and respect their choices.
• Help with logistics, i.e. picking up or shipping milk. 
• Acknowledge the effort that milksharing entails, finding donors, picking up the milk, etc. These families work hard to provide the best nourishment for their children. 
• Share with them information about at-breast supplementation.

Breastmilk is not a scarce commodity and there are women around the world who are willing to share. World Milksharing Week participants promote awareness of human donor milk through events held around the world. All individuals and groups who encourage milksharing and who support donor and recipient families are invited to participate.

For more information about Milksharing and to find your local community please come visit Human Milk 4 human Babies

Come and Celebrate with us!!!!!