India's first online milk bank is operational

India’s first-of-its-kind online milk bank -- where lactating mothers can reach children who are in need of breast milk - is now operational thanks to a new online portal and app called MomLine.

The networking app for young moms (www.babychakra.com) has been receiving good response, according to Naiyya Saggi, founder & CEO, BabyChakra. "So far it is operational wherever there is a critical mass of mothers who are happy to donate. Hence, we have had donors emerge in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and even Guwhati," according to Saggi.
The community team at BabyChakra facilitates direct interaction between the mother who has excess milk with the one who needs help. Both the benefactor and the beneficiary are typically in the same city.

The company mission is to increase the amount of human breast milk available to babies while also serving the needs of the donating mothers. It supports the value of breast milk and the crucial role it plays for breastfeeding infants and is committed to increase awareness and safety methods to provide healthy, safe breast milk to families in need.

Asked about the costs, she said: " We are building BabyChakra as the trusted care companion for every young parent in India.. There’s no cost involved for parents using BabyChakra. Our team does the digital milk bank initiative out of a passion for helping promote the cause of breastfeeding: this is the way forward for a healthier next generation."

As far as the concept of milk bank is concerned, it started in Mumbai for the first time and it is now 27 years old. Launched on November 27, 1989, at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College at Sion here,  the example has been replicated elsewhere. It was the brainchild of Dr Armida Fernandes and was set up on the lines of Oxford and Birmingham milk banks.