Poor health rates paint a dull picture in sub-Saharan Africa, with 9% of its population living with HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) also reports that in 2022, more than 2.5 million Africans had tuberculosis, an infectious disease that primarily targets the lungs. Furthermore, during the same year, 94% of malaria cases worldwide occurred in the area. These illnesses are holding sub-Saharan African regions from reaching their full economic potential. To counter their growing shadow of death and sickness, a non-profit known as mothers2mothers is actively playing a part.

Mothers2mothers: Improving Health Care in Africa

Dr Mitch Besser established Mothers2mothers in 2001 as a small local NGO in Cape Town. Little did its founder know that within 20 years the organization would bloom into one of Africa’s most prominent multi-national non-profits, functioning in 10 countries in the region including Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa; receiving numerous certifications and partnerships from other firms equal to its calibre and importance such as USAID, The Johnson & Johnson Foundation and MULAGO.

Mothers2mothers works with women living with HIV and hires them as Mentor Mothers who go to households to provide health education and emotional support for those burdened with the illnesses they also are affected by. They also work with medical professionals to provide health care according to an individual’s needs.

So far, the NGO has created more than 12,000 jobs for women living with HIV. This strategy proves effective as HIV-positive clients are more comfortable opening up and seeking help from those in the same place as them.

Educational Programs

The target demographics for mothers2mothers are women, children, adolescents, male spouses of patients and sexual minorities. The firm runs educational programs in which they explain the causes and symptoms of diseases such as HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and link potential patients to testing and treatment centers. In 2023, the organization tested 100% of the people referred for TB and all positive individuals received treatment, according to its website.

Moreover, in the same way, Mentor Mothers track infants and children who may be susceptible to HIV transmission and help provide testing facilities to them. They also work with the children’s parents and give guidance on how to raise them to be healthy and mentally active. According to mothers2mothers, 99% of children enrolled in these early childhood development programs achieved their full developmental milestones by their first birthday.

In an interview with Wowwire, Robin Smalley, a co-founder of the organization, shared the inspiration behind mothers2mothers, “When the (HIV) test would come back there would be no one to tell the mother-to-be that she had options. This young woman would be terrified, convinced she and her baby were going to die. These young women were continually falling through the cracks in the medical system. Realizing that the greatest resource we have in Africa is the women themselves, Mitch (Besser) came up with the idea for mothers2mothers.”

Mothers’ Ball

In addition to working through Mentor Mothers, mothers2mothers also runs fundraisers and awareness activities. On November 20, 2024, the organization hosted its second “Mothers’ Ball” in London to spread the word on what they do and raise funds to finance their activities further. Over 300 people attended this event.

Mother2mothers has reached 16 million people who did not know their health issues beforehand or have any idea of how to get help. In 2023 alone it treated 774,307 clients. The Mentor Mother system has been so successful that it became an official South African government policy in 2012.

This system benefits not only the client but the Mentor Mother herself. A mother working for the firm Irene Nkosi stated in Make Mothers Matter, “My job at mothers2mothers has given me peace of mind. Being part of their family brought back my self-esteem and confidence. Sharing what I have learned there about HIV with my family has played a massive role in removing the stigma they had placed on me.”

– Mustafa Tareen

Mustafa is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and focuses on Global Health and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr