Our Story: The Heart Behind Rose Milk Collective

Rose Milk Collective was born out of profound love, loss, and a promise to carry forward a vision that mattered deeply to one extraordinary woman.

This is not just the story of a nonprofit. It is the story of Rose — my beloved wife, a mother, a passionate advocate for birthing justice, and a woman whose legacy now lives on through every ounce of donor milk we help send to infants in need.

Part I: Her Heart, Her Vision

Rose grew up in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, among the Pokomchí people in the village of Nisnic. She was deeply connected to their language, their traditions, and especially to the struggles of women and children in her community. Witnessing the effects of limited maternal healthcare access, she became a passionate advocate for natural childbirth and the use of native midwives.

Rose was studying and training to become a midwife herself. She believed in honoring the ancient wisdom passed down through generations of indigenous birth workers, and she worked to amplify their voices amidst the widespread issue of obstetric violence in Guatemala. Her dream was to one day open a birth center that embraced dignity, choice, and culturally-informed care.

Rose feeding her milk to baby Dalilah

Her compassion extended beyond vision — it was lived. After the birth of our first son, Romeo, Rose donated her breast milk to a malnourished baby girl in our village named Dalilah. That simple, selfless act captured everything she stood for: sharing life, mother to mother, without hesitation. I had the privilege of reconnecting with Dalilah — the first unofficial Rose Milk Collective recipient — in October of last year. She is now a healthy and thriving little 4-year-old.

At the core of Rose’s unwavering compassion and commitment was her love for Jesus Christ. Her faith was not separate from her mission — it fueled it. She believed that serving others, especially the most vulnerable, was an expression of Christ’s love made visible.

Christian and Dalilah reuniting

Part II: A Tragic Loss

On March 15, 2023, just four days after the birth of our second son, Amadeo, Rose passed away unexpectedly. The grief of losing her, especially in the sacred postpartum window she had so lovingly prepared for, was beyond words.

In those early days of mourning, I heard Rose’s voice in my heart — reminding me, as she often had, that “breast is best.” I made it my mission to find breast milk for our newborn son. I prayed, and when I returned to the United States to be closer to family, something extraordinary happened: several women, nursing mothers from our local congregation, stepped forward with donations. We were blessed with an overabundance of milk for Amadeo, a provision I believe came directly through Rose’s spirit and the generosity she inspired in others.

But even in that darkest hour, her passion and purpose remained so present in my heart. We had often spoken of creating a milk bank to serve Guatemala’s most vulnerable infants — those born too early, too small, or too sick to be nourished by their own mothers. She believed breast milk was a bridge to life.

Romeo and Amadeo visiting Mama’s grave in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala

Part III: A Legacy Carried Forward

In the months after her passing, our family and community came together around her vision. Now two years later, we founded Rose Milk Collective, not to store or process milk, but to serve as a milk collection partner — connecting approved donor moms in the U.S. with licensed processing centers, and ultimately with fragile infants in Guatemala.

We named it after her, and we run it in the spirit of her life: gentle, fierce, faithful.

Our first milk shipment in May 2025 arrived in the very region she called home. And we believe this is only the beginning.

Christian helps distribute first shipment

Part IV: Connecting Ak’ux with Ak’ux

Together, we bridge donors and fragile infants — connecting nourishment with need, compassion with action, and ak’ux with ak’ux.

In Pokomchí, the word ak’ux means heart — but not just the physical organ. It means the chest, the life force, the emotional and spiritual center of a person. To ask someone "Suq na ak'ux?" is to ask how their whole being is.

At Rose Milk Collective, we say we are "connecting ak’ux with ak’ux" — from one mother’s heart to another’s child. From one act of love to a life forever changed.

This is more than milk — it’s love that lives on. Through Rose Milk Collective, my wife’s compassion continues to flow, giving fragile children the chance she always believed they deserve.

— Christian Roberts, Founder

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