'Breastmilk Money' Puts Cash Back in the Pockets of Nigerian Women

Fintech Herconomy and Serviceplan focus on empowerment

In Nigeria, about 34 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their newborns. This is despite UNICEF data that shows every $1 invested in breastfeeding there generates $35 in economic returns through improved child development and health.

Some mothers may not be medically able to breastfeed, but many are discouraged by paternal jealousy and cultural and social pressure, as well as the idea that breastmilk is inadequate for infant nutrition. Up to 30 percent of Nigerian family income is spent on buying formula or dietary supplements for babies.

Herconomy, a Nigerian fintech dedicated to helping women make empowered choices, is trying to turn the tide back in the direction of mothers and families. Its initiative, “Breastmilk Money,” encourages breastfeeding while providing financial incentives for the money that would otherwise have been spent on formula.

The campaign’s hero video “Milk,” created by Serviceplan Innovation and award-winning filmmaker Fariba Buchheim, appears below:

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“Milk” features a busy mother contemplating the right decisions for her newborn as she goes about life while trying to keep this kid alive. It’s designed to showcase the vital bond that breastfeeding can create, tying the notion of empowerment—and the mother’s progressive confidence in combating social norms for her child’s welfare—to the decision to forego formula. That topic is mostly implied.

The narrative voice ends with the words “I create, you become,” and features the woman standing tall and facing the camera. She is clad in white, with a big healthy baby in her arms. The image evokes the Virgin Mary, but also statues of classical goddesses, empowered by default.

When I had a baby I thought breastfeeding would be easy, with just a minor learning curve. It wasn’t. I had no milk when my son was born, and he cried relentlessly in the hospital until I gave up and offered him formula.

It was a relief. But even after that—when I thought we had solved the dilemma of feeding—he kept trying to breastfeed, even while he took unthinkable amounts of formula. He tried, I bled and cried, I contacted consultants. The whole thing cost lots of time, money and energy. The pumping was relentless and nonstop. After about three months, we made it out the other side. But then I had to go back to work, and sat in toilets every two hours, trying to pump while other people ran circles around me.

Cultural pressure is a weird thing at the best of times, but it really bears down when you become a mother. In Nigeria and elsewhere, people have strong opinions about the choices you should make for the well-being of your child. So the protagonist’s journey—from anxiety to certainty in her own decision-making, despite sidelong glances or unsolicited advice—is very relatable. Ultimately, it’s usually the mother’s job to make the best call. This is a heavy burden to bear.

“Breastmilk Money” functions as a sub-account within Herconomy’s digital wallets. It calculates how much money a mother saves every month by breastfeeding instead of buying formula, using real-time data that includes product prices, average consumption and a child’s age. That money gets pushed into the sub-account and earns about 14.3 percent annual interest. The funds can be withdrawn after two years, the recommended length of breastfeeding time issued by the World Health Organization.

“We believe true economic power begins with financial independence. When women have the tools to save, invest, and grow their money, they gain the freedom to make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” says Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Herconomy’s founder.

The work is supported by a number of initiatives and media extensions, including contributions from public figures. These include journalist Ogechi Ekeanyanwu, who led the editorial strategy; Nengi Nelson, a photographer and filmmaker who documented the realities of Nigerian mothers; renowned photographer Yagazie Emezi; and Titilayo Medunoye, a lactation consultant and founder of Milky Express, a breastfeeding support network in Nigeria.

Given my own experience, it’s a relief to hear there are also lactation consultants aboard this train. Breastfeeding may be “free,” but it’s not easy.

It is, rather, hard to breastfeed in an economically-driven culture. You need people to teach you how to do it, encourage you, feed you—because the calories you require are Olympian-trainer level—and help you rest. It’s nearly impossible to do when you’re strained—and incredibly difficult on your time, mind and body when you’re trying to get out and work.

“Breastfeeding is the most effective tool to prevent child malnutrition. It also strengthens family bonds, protects maternal health, and is environmentally friendly,” says Dr. Lope Adejuyigbe, a certified lactation consultant and an expert involved in the project. “Every mother deserves a pleasurable breastfeeding journey—and that’s why I work in this field.”