mothers2mothers

m2m's main communication strategy is peer education. The programme trains and employs mothers living with HIV, who have themselves benefited from m2m’s services, to become “Mentor Mothers.” The mentoring team is comprised of caregivers and educators who help counsel and advise new and expectant mothers. m2m Mentor Mothers are an integral component of the healthcare team, helping to mobilise efforts in providing prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) support and care services; and, as professional members of the healthcare team, they are thus remunerated for their services.

Through peer mentoring, pregnant women and new mothers are afforded a safe space to talk about their health, their HIV-status, and the health of their children. This kind of peer support - being able to talk to someone who has first-hand experience and understands the delicate challenges of being pregnant and HIV-positive - can help new mothers overcome the emotional, social, and psychological barriers that prevent them from living positively with HIV.

Mentor Mothers are trained by m2m certified trainers using what m2m identifies as a rigorous training curriculum. Each mentor serves a 13-month term, allowing a new group of Mentor Mothers to be hired, trained, and empowered each year.

Recognising the importance of extending the programme into the community, townships, and villages, m2m also utilises the Mentor Mothers to provide community awareness and outreach on topics related to reproductive health, especially HIV/AIDS. Site Coordinators and Mentor Mothers regularly travel to clients' homes and/or invite family members to an m2m location in order to provide information and support to women who are disclosing their HIV status. In addition, m2m adapts to rural health care settings where women cannot travel to the nearest health care facility for visits and/or delivery, playing a role in promoting anti-retroviral therapy adherence.

Gender, HIV/AIDS, PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission), Reproductive Health.

m2m reports that South Africa has been one of the places hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 18.8% compared to 6.1% in sub-Saharan Africa and 1% globally. Women account for over half (58%) of adults living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and over 240,000 children are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Without care, as many as 40% of these mothers will transmit the virus to their newborns, and each year more than half a million of these children will die from HIV/AIDS related illnesses.

According to m2m, preventing the transmission of HIV from women to their newborns is a straightforward medical procedure. Its simplest application, a single dose of medication for a mother and her newborn, can cut transmission risk nearly in half.