Here at the Kravis Prize, we are proud to sponsor some of the most innovative nonprofits, including one of this year’s Kravis Prize winners, mothers2mothers. Not only does m2m help to educate pregnant women and new mothers on how to prevent HIV transmission to their unborn babies, the organization also provides social support to HIV-positive women and helps them access existing healthcare services.
Unique in its innovative approach to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), m2m is widely recognized around the world and receives support from organizations including UNICEF. Studies have also been conducted to capture the impact of m2m’s programs, which show how m2m is truly a leader in this area.
In 2007, USAID, the Human Sciences Research Council and the Population Council conducted an evaluation of 17 m2m sites in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which provide services five days per week to women at the clinics. m2m staff are also available to go home with a mother who requests support for HIV status disclosure to a partner and/or other family members.
Researchers interviewed HIV-positive pregnant and postpartum women that participated in the m2m program and those who did not. The study found that “m2m participants had greater psychosocial well-being, greater use of PMTCT services, and better PMTCT outcomes.” In fact, “more than nine out of 10 pregnant program participants felt that they could do things to help themselves, cope with taking care of their infants, and live positively.”
“The findings suggest that m2m plays an important role in providing a continuum of care for HIV-positive women and their infants. The program strives to keep women linked to health facilities, which is especially important after delivery since that is an identified weakness of traditional PMTCT services, where there are no established systems to follow up women and their infants. This evaluation found that there was an association between participation in the program and greater psychosocial well-being, increased uptake of PMTCT services, and more positive PMTCT behaviors, particularly among postpartum women.”
m2m’s dedication to global health has helped the organization create a groundbreaking model that increases awareness of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, women’s health and preventative care. Since the first site was established in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2001, the organization has expanded to over 500 sites in seven countries! Their impact is spreading far and wide – you can read the full evaluation here to see why their approach is so effective. You can also check out m2m’s Kravis Prize profile to learn a little more about the organization.
