When the children first come to the orphanage, they are so sick and malnourished they can barely cry…. Once they are fed, they thrive on the breast milk, and within a few weeks, they are full of life. They gain weight almost immediately and don’t get sick as often when they’re drinking the breast milk.

Jill Youse, a mother in Columbia, Missouri, read about the orphanage on the Web while she was nursing her 10-month-old daughter. She spread the word and collected 24 gallons of frozen breast milk from local mothers inspired by the success of the orphanage. Global express carrier DHL generously shipped the milk to South Africa free of charge.

You can watch the three-minute video of the entire ABC News story or read the full print version. If the story of the IThemba Lethu orphanage also inspires you to investigate breast milk donation either internationally or domestically in the United States, check out the International Breast Milk Project. The organization’s third shipment, consisting of nearly 47 gallons of mother’s milk, got underway on October 3 and a fourth shipment is planned for early 2007.

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