mothers2mothers International

Each year in the developing world, millions of babies are born to women living with HIV. As many as 40 percent of the mothers will transmit the virus to their newborns. And each year, more than half a million children who contracted the virus from their mothers will die of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses.

While HIV/AIDS is physically devastating for both mother and child, the stigma women face in their communities can be equally debilitating. The greatest tragedy, however, is that mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS is almost entirely preventable with inexpensive medical intervention.

mothers2mothers (m2m) was born in 2001 with a mission to prevent babies from contracting HIV, to keep mothers living with HIV alive and healthy by increasing their access to medical care, and to empower mothers to battle the stigma of HIV/AIDS.

We focus on education and empowerment. HIV-positive mothers are recruited to serve as peer mentors/educators. They are trained in a rigorous curriculum to provide knowledge on medicine and treatments, nutrition, infant feeding practices, and coping skills to combat stigma and discrimination. These mentors become an integral part of local health care teams, and are paid for their services. This income allows them to gain some financial independence and become role models in their communities.

m2m has directly helped 1 million women in nine countries in Sub Saharan Africa. Its mentor mother model is in place in two additional countries. Currently, we provide services at more than 400 sites in Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Uganda.