Mothers at Risk

🌍 Meet our Next Gen Team! 🚀 At MothersAtRisk, our mission is driven by a global network of people committed to making a difference. And today, we’re excited to introduce our Next Gen Team — three new members working from different countries to strengthen MAR’s projects and outreach. 💡 Who are we? • Lara Smith – Program Manager • Olivia Wolfrum Loewe – Project Manager Kenya & Communications Manager • Patricia Jørgensen Yturriaga – Audiovisual Manager Stay tuned - we’ll be introducing ourselves soon!

We've had a great wrap-up to the year and to events marking our 15 anniversary with an open and lively discussion on innovation and entrepreneurship in maternal health at the King Baudouin Foundation hosted jointly by Mothers at Risk at Risk and the ella fund. We were delighted to be joined by a great group of philanthropists, impact investors and entrepreneurial change-makers. On this occasion, we want to take a moment to express our appreciation for the years of excellent collaboration with the King Baudouin Foundation. Our thanks go to Ludwig Forrest for helping establish our Mothers at Risk Fund; Maartje Houbrechts, Ilya Akman, Elke Briers, Edith Verstraeten and Marguerite Beauduin, for their always highly professional support, and Hervé Lisoir, Stefan Schäfers and Francoise Pissart for their guidance and inputs. Looking forward to another 15! Claire Trichot Ousmane Tapsirou Ly Erin Gainer Rachel Hammonds France Donnay Laurent Mikolajczak Ingrid Colanero Pauline Camacho Dana Strupova Diana Perez Buck Marc Pittie Niovi kyriazakou Ana Yturriaga Saldanha Diana Buck Carolina Volcker Anny Tubbs Carine Henoque Sven Voelcker Patricia Jørgensen Yturriaga Lara Smith

🌟 15 Years of MothersAtRisk 🌟 As we celebrate our 15 years, this video captures part of the journey we’ve shared—mobilizing resources to support change-makers who are creating lasting impact in their communities. These ‘practical dreamers’ envision a better world and have the courage to make it happen. They work tirelessly to ensure women have access to quality maternal and reproductive health. Our 15-year milestone belongs to everyone who believes in the power of collective action: our donors, partners, volunteers, and the inspiring women and communities who are at the heart of our mission. Thank you for being part of this story. 🎥 Watch the video and share this moment with us! https://lnkd.in/dmi4Qjtr A big thank you to the creative team who has made this video possible: The brilliant documentary filmmaker Anny Tubbs, veteran communications expert Javier Ontiveros Beltranena and the dynamic audiovisual talents Pablo Lopez-Galiacho Jara Tyler Adams; Martin Walsh Graham Walsh Rodrigo García González

At Mothers at Risk we are always looking for great synergies, and it is such a treat when partnerships develop effortlessly and naturally. It has been so with KISANY - Social Enterprise, which shares with us a commitment to supporting women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Honoring the work of our local partner Lisungi providing mobile prenatal care to women in Kinshasa, we are thrilled to contribute to Kisany’s vocational training for women and mothers in Goma and Kigali. As Mothers at Risk turns 15, Kisany has helped us show our appreciation to our wonderful volunteers with beautiful, custom-made items hand-embroidered by female Congolese artisans, for which Kisany is successfully helping create demand and an international market. Ashwini Shanmuganathan Marta Diez Martín Manuela del Marmol Adelaide PIRMEZ Ariane Storme Carole Fredericq Madeleine de Theux Olivia Wolfrum Loewe

At Mothers at Risk at risk we are turning 15 and are thrilled to have kicked off our celebrations with four of our wonderful local partners: ➡️ Ousmane Tapsirou Ly Ly, co-founder of the dynamic youth health organization @Le Corpus Medical in Senegal. ➡️Claire Trichot founder of @100% Mamans, an emergency shelter and vocational training center for unwed mothers in Morocco. ➡️Urbain Van Laere and Marie-Noëlle Steygers, President and Director of Chevrefeuille, one of Belgium’s longest-serving homes for vulnerable pregnant women. Working with these four remarkable individuals and seeing the impact they and their organizations are having keeps us hopeful and striving forward!

Recently, we had a joint programming session with Eleni Tsegaw, who, together with her team at MCSPA in Kokuselei, Kenya, is driving incredible change for women and children in one of the most challenging regions of the world. Eleni and her team are a remarkable example of how a community-led holistic approach can bring about transformative change. With a deep understanding of the challenges in Turkana and hand-in-hand with the community they work tirelessly to improve living conditions sustainably there. For years, our collaboration with MCSPA has focused on providing dedicated maternal care in Kokuselei, where maternal health services are critically needed. Together, we’ve supported impactful initiatives such as: ✅ Mobile Health Clinics: Through grants provided by MAR, MCSPA launched a mother-child mobile clinic that extends care from the Kokuselei dispensary to 11 remote outposts, reaching hundreds of expectant and lactating mothers and babies who would otherwise not have access to healthcare. ✅ Strengthening Health Infrastructure and Resources: MAR has financed the construction of housing for healthcare workers, an extension of the Kokuselei dispensary, equipping of a traditional birthing hut ‘manyata’ with the Association Femmes d'Europe aisbl and the deployment of village health promoters to provide ongoing health, nutrition, and hygiene education to mothers. ✅ Addressing Broader Community Needs: MAR has supported MCSPA in tackling food insecurity by investing in food production and in nutritional units with the Fonds de dotation Bien Nourrir l'Homme – Groupe Savencia and providing emergency food aid during droughts; improving irrigation and access to clean water and sanitation through partnerships like with the Elisabeth et Amelie Fund; and facilitating scholarships for local girls to attend secondary school in collaboration with the Rotary Club Hamburg-Bergedorf. Together, we are fostering a virtuous cycle of change with women and children at the center.🌱 Niovi kyriazakou Fonds de dotation Bien Nourrir l'Homme – Groupe Savencia Laurence Dufour Emmanuelle Janin

🌍 We are delighted to have co-designed with the ella fund a meetup this week as part of the IDEA LAB program, in partnership with Concree and the KPC Consortium Senegal. This program is dedicated to supporting start-ups and driving growth in key sectors of the Senegalese economy, with our meetup focused specifically on maternal and child health. 🌍 The meetup featured two remarkable speakers: Dr. Yaye Fatou Oumar Gaye, an experienced obstetrician and jury member for our Innovating for Mothers Challenge, who also serves as the focal point for gender issues in the Senegalese Army’s health services; and Macoura NIANG, co-founder of Corpus Medical and laureate of the Innovating for Mothers Challenge, whose startup has been piloting HealthTech solutions in the maternal health space across Senegal. Together, they provided participants with valuable insights into the current landscape of maternal healthcare in Senegal, sharing perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and potential for innovation in this sector. IDEA LAB is empowering emerging entrepreneurs to tackle local challenges with impactful solutions. Looking forward to seeing the ideas sparked in this meetup come to life! 🚀 Fabienne V.S.ANDRADE Adia Gnacko Babacar BIRANE Rachel Hammonds France Donnay Erin Gainer Ousmane Tapsirou Ly Le Corpus Médical #IDEALAB #HealthInnovation #MaternalHealth #Entrepreneurship

We recently sat down with Ousmane Tapsirou Ly, Founder of Corpus Medical, and Jane Drichta, Executive Director of Midwives for Haiti, to discuss their incredible work in maternal healthcare. Their dedication to improving the lives of women and families is truly inspiring. MothersAtRisk is proud to support initiatives that not only empower communities but also create lasting impact. #MaternalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #CommunityImpact

At Mothers at Risk we are proud to be partnering with the ella fund to support the laureates of the upcoming IDEA LAB cohort, focused on maternal and child health innovations in Senegal. Curated by Concree and funded by KOICA, IDEA LAB is a 10-day accelerated pre-incubation program designed to train budding entrepreneurs with the fundamentals of business creation in strategic sectors. Applications are open until October 27—don’t miss your chance to apply!⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eDnY7kCn #MaternalHealth #ChildHealth #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Senegal #HealthcareInnovation #IDEALAB2024

Many women experience disrespect and abuse during childbirth worldwide. Our lead maternal health advisor, Dr France Donnay has devoted her life to reimagining maternal health so that mothers everywhere can have a dignified and quality delivery experience. Her article⬇️ in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal that she co-authored looks at frameworks to help change the behavior of health providers, and exemplifies Dr. Donnay’s respectful approach to creating positive change for mothers. Thank you Dr. Donnay for your contributions and commitment to Mothers at Risk! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e9jY2hGj