The transmission of HIV from a mother to her baby is almost entirely preventable.  However, Africa’s health systems are under tremendous strain and each day almost 200 children are infected with HIV (1/3 will die by their 1st birthday).  According to the WHO, the continent has a shortage of 4.2 million healthcare workers.  

Dr. Mitch Besser, a Harvard-trained OB/GYN, started Mothers2Mothers (m2m) in Cape Town in 2001 when he realised that many women who tested positive for HIV were too frightened to return to a clinic for treatment.  Through m2m he trained and employed "Mentor Mothers" to achieve peer-to-peer outreach to these women so they can access lifesaving treatment and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

M2M has reached over 1.5 million women across 8 countries in Africa and has helped protect 700,000 infants from HIV infection.  UNAIDS considers virtual elimination of mother to child HIV transmission (MTCT) has to be at a rate of 5% or below—the average MTCT rate among our m2m enrolled clients is just 1.6%.