A Guide for Developing a Communications Strategy - Strengthening Human Milk Banking: A Resource Toolkit for Establishing & Integrating Human Milk Bank Programs

From PATH, "A Guide for Developing a Communications Strategy" is one component of PATH's Strengthening Human Milk Banking toolkit, a set of 11 documents with templates, standards, and tools to guide critical steps for establishing human milk banking as an integrated component within breastfeeding support and neonatal care, with a focus on readiness, quality assurance, operations, auditing, training, monitoring and evaluation, and communications.

The Communications Strategy resource provides guidance to human milk banks (HMBs) for establishing communication messaging that is designed to increase awareness of HMB, as part of an integrated strategy for protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding within broader newborn care and nutrition programmes.

The purpose of HMBs is to provide safe and high-quality donor milk to vulnerable infants who do not have access to their mother's own milk (MOM). PATH contends that fostering an integrated approach of breastfeeding promotion, Kangaroo Mother Care, and provision of donor human milk (DHM) when needed is required to increase equitable access to human milk for all infants.

Building upon existing programmes from HMBs around the world in diverse cultures and settings, this guide provides information to facilitate the development of personalised communications strategies for new or existing HMBs. With topics ranging from a general overview of HMBs to donor recruitment and milk pasteurisation, it supports programme managers and HMB staff members in identifying the following: intended audiences and their influencers, communication channels and approaches, key messages, and activities to engage intended audiences (e.g., social media).

The appendices include tables as templates to facilitate the step-by-step development of a communications strategy specific to the local setting and needs. The appendices also include linkages to an array of actual examples of communications materials, which have been sourced from numerous HMBs, to be used or adapted (with acknowledgement) as building blocks for developing local resources. Additional downloads available as part of a Zip drive focus on topics such as Champions of Breastfeeding, Women's Empowerment, and Messaging for Muslim Populations.

These resources are freely available, globally accessible, and should be adapted to the local context to maximise effectiveness.