mothers2mothers
mothers2mothers is an international nonprofit organization that supports women living with HIV to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to their children and improve family health.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
mothers2mothers is an international nonprofit organization focused on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and strengthening health outcomes for women, infants, and families in sub-Saharan Africa. Its distinctive model recruits and employs women living openly with HIV as peer educators known as Mentor Mothers. These workers provide practical information, emotional support, treatment guidance, referrals, and encouragement to pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. The organization was founded in 2001 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, by Mitchell Besser. Besser had moved to Cape Town in 2000 to work with the University of Cape Town’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and to advise on the clinical rollout of prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission services. His experience showed that the availability of medical treatment did not by itself guarantee successful prevention. Fear, stigma, isolation, disclosure concerns, and other social and psychological barriers could prevent patients from accessing or completing care. He therefore developed a peer-support approach that treated HIV-positive mothers as a valuable source of knowledge, trust, and encouragement for other women in similar circumstances. The initial program connected new mothers living with HIV to pregnant peers and helped them understand prevention services, make informed decisions about disclosure, adhere to treatment, and pursue healthy lives. The model combined community-based support with existing clinical services rather than attempting to replace medical providers. As it expanded, the organization adopted country-specific names such as mothers2mothers South Africa and mothers2mothers Kenya, while continuing to use mothers2mothers as its global identity. According to the supplied reference material, the program has expanded to more than 400 sites across seven African countries and employs more than 1,000 women living with HIV. Since its establishment, it has enrolled more than 1,000,000 HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers and recorded nearly three million unique client interactions. These figures describe the organization’s reported reach; external commentary has questioned aspects of how client numbers were counted, so the figures should be interpreted as program-reported measures rather than independently verified totals. mothers2mothers is primarily a social-impact and health-support organization rather than a commercial product brand. Its core offering is the Mentor Mother service, supported by peer education, adherence support, psychosocial counseling, referral pathways, and community engagement. Its positioning rests on lived experience: women affected by HIV are not only beneficiaries but also trained employees, advocates, and providers of support. This approach has attracted recognition from global-health and social-entrepreneurship institutions, including the Skoll Foundation and the Global Health Council. Funding has included support from foundations such as the Skoll Foundation, Mulago Foundation, and Jasmine Social Investments.
History
mothers2mothers originated in Cape Town, South Africa, in the context of the early expansion of clinical services intended to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Mitchell Besser moved to Cape Town in 2000 to work with the University of Cape Town’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and to support the clinical rollout of prevention services at Groote Schuur Hospital. His work revealed a gap between the availability of medical interventions and patients’ ability to use them effectively. Women could face stigma, fear of disclosure, isolation, limited information, and emotional distress, all of which could undermine engagement with care. In response, Besser established mothers2mothers in 2001. The organization’s founding insight was that women living with HIV could provide highly credible and empathetic support to pregnant women and new mothers facing the same diagnosis. These trained peer workers became known as Mentor Mothers. They helped clients understand HIV prevention, navigate health services, consider disclosure, adhere to treatment, and develop practical strategies for protecting their own health and that of their children. The program initially operated through hospital and maternal-health settings, but its model was designed to connect clinical treatment with community-based support. This allowed mothers2mothers to address social and psychological barriers that conventional medical services might not fully reach. The organization also created an employment and leadership pathway for women living with HIV, positioning them as skilled health-support workers rather than passive recipients of aid. During the 2000s, mothers2mothers expanded beyond its original South African base. Country programs were identified with names such as mothers2mothers South Africa and mothers2mothers Kenya, although the international organization retained the mothers2mothers name. The program later operated across Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, with more than 400 reported sites. The organization also reported employing more than 1,000 women living with HIV. Its reported cumulative reach grew to more than one million HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, with nearly three million unique client interactions. A historical claim that approximately 300,000 unique clients were enrolled in 2010 was later treated cautiously by GiveWell, which questioned elements of the organization’s client-counting methodology. This does not negate the program’s activities, but it indicates that reported reach figures require attention to definitions and measurement methods. mothers2mothers gained international visibility through awards and social-entrepreneurship recognition. It received the Global Women’s Health Award and the Ambassadors of Caring Award in 2006, an Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre Platinum Award in 2007, and recognition as one of the leading nongovernmental organizations for public-private partnerships in a study prepared for the United Nations and published in the Financial Times. It subsequently received or was associated with the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, Schwab Foundation recognition, and the Global Health Council’s Best Practices in Global Health Award. Funding has included foundation support from organizations such as the Skoll Foundation, Mulago Foundation, and Jasmine Social Investments.
- 2010
Global Health Council award
[1]mothers2mothers received the Global Health Council’s Best Practices in Global Health Award.
- 2009
Schwab Foundation recognition
[1]The organization received recognition from the Schwab Foundation as an Africa Regional Social Entrepreneur.
- 2008
Social-entrepreneurship recognition
[1]mothers2mothers received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, while founder Mitchell Besser received the Presidential Citizens Medal.
- 2007
International NGO and social-innovation recognition
[1]The organization received a Platinum Award from the Impumelelo Social Innovations Centre and was identified among leading NGOs in a United Nations-related public-private partnership study.
- 2006
Global Women's Health Award
[1]mothers2mothers received the Global Women's Health Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
- 2001
mothers2mothers is founded
[1]The organization was established at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, using women living with HIV as peer educators for pregnant women and new mothers.
- 2000
Mitchell Besser moves to Cape Town
[1]Mitchell Besser joined the University of Cape Town’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and advised on the rollout of prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission services.
Products and positioning
A peer-led global-health nonprofit that uses the experience and leadership of women living with HIV to improve HIV prevention, treatment engagement, maternal health, and family well-being.
Peer health workforce · 2001
Mentor Mothers
Mentor Mothers are trained women living with HIV who provide peer education, emotional support, treatment guidance, referrals, and encouragement to pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. The model uses shared experience to reduce stigma and improve engagement with prevention and treatment services.
HIV prevention service · 2001
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission support
This service helps women understand and use medical and community resources intended to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child. Support addresses treatment access, adherence, disclosure concerns, health education, and follow-up during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Global-health program
Community maternal and child health programming
mothers2mothers extends peer-led support through health facilities and community settings in several sub-Saharan African countries. The programs connect clients with information, psychosocial support, clinical services, and referral pathways related to HIV, maternal health, and family well-being.
Brand decisions
2001
Adopt a peer-led Mentor Mother modelStrategyBackground
Clinical access to prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission treatment was being limited by stigma, fear, disclosure concerns, and other social and emotional barriers.
Action taken
The organization recruited women living openly with HIV to educate and support pregnant women and new mothers facing similar circumstances.
Aftermath
The peer-support model became the organization’s central service and was subsequently expanded across multiple African countries.
Recent events
- 2010
mothers2mothers receives the Global Health Council Best Practices in Global Health Award[1]
Other
The organization received recognition from the Global Health Council for its practices in global health programming.
- 2008
mothers2mothers receives the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship[1]
Other
The organization was recognized with a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship for its peer-led approach to HIV and maternal health.
- 2008
Mitchell Besser receives the Presidential Citizens Medal[1]
Other
Founder Mitchell Besser was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal in recognition of his social-impact work.
- 2006
mothers2mothers receives the Global Women's Health Award[1]
Other
The organization received the Global Women's Health Award from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
Sources2 sources
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