Raksha Jain is an electrotherapist and the mother of two children from Bhilwara, Rajasthan. An incident in her life inspired her to donate breast milk to a milk bank, helping to feed around 5,000 infants. Raksha bestowed little ones by providing mother's milk to countless newborns who couldn't receive their biological mothers’ milk. It is her good deeds that made her name in the India Book of Records.
When Raksha gave birth to her child in 2018, she was unable to breastfeed the newborn. She went to the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital's Anchal Mother Milk Bank for assistance. Healthful mothers who have recently given birth and produce extra milk can donate their milk to the Aanchal Mother Milk Bank, which is housed in the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Bhilwara. This concept greatly inspired Raksha. She made the decision to support kids going through similar issues.
"Another mother's milk helped my baby, I prayed to God to give me enough milk to help others.” - Raksha Jain
The fact that her prayers were answered is a miracle. Raksha started making abudant of milk very quickly. She made the decision to donate the milk. Despite being advised to stop giving milk and take medicine, she decided to cope up with the pain and carry on with her donation.
"Giving milk away seems good, but it hurts. My breasts would stiffen up, requiring frequent milk expression. But I thought, if another mother’s milk saved my child, then why not give my milk to those who need it?” says Raksha Jain.
Raksha started making donations on June 20, 2018. She used to give away as much as a liter in a single session. Her gifts are documented by the Anchal Mother Milk Bank.
After her first delivery in, she gave 54 liters of her milk to the milk bank from June 2018 to 2019. On February 12, 2023, Raksha gave birth to her second child. Three days after giving birth, she started donating her milk again, and she did so until November 14, 2023. After she gave birth to her second kid, she provided 106.81 liters of milk between February 15, 2023, and November 14, 2023.
She contributed an astounding 160.81 liters of her milk in total, feeding over 5,000 children in need. After feeding her child, she visited the bank daily. She felt a sense of fulfillment in helping countless children who might have faced malnutrition. She has become the highest milk donor, not only in Rajasthan but also in the entire country.
While she was staying at her in-laws' home in Mandal town, she traveled every day to Bhilwara for her donations. “The round-trip taxi fare to Bhilwara was Rs. 700, yet I made the trip and donated milk for 25 consecutive days," says Raksha.
She decided to take her scooty to Bhilwara as the taxi fare became too expensive. She also bought a carrycot for her child, who was one-month-old then, to make sure her son is safe while she is riding the scooty.
"Milk donation is a simple process, but it requires family support"
She emphasizes that her family supported her throughout her journey. Her family members, including her husband Sunil, mother Sharda Devi, and brother Rahul Soni, played a pivotal role in her journey. Her mother looked after the houdsehold chores while her brother would drive her to the hospital for donations.
Raksha's story is truly inspiring. Her journey spreads awareness about importance of milk donation. With an idea of spreading the word, she formed the Life Welfare Society Pink Squad encouraging more women to participate in the noble work.
