91Èȱ¬

PHOTO CAPTION: Mentor Mother Lina with one of her clients, in Matola Health Centre, Mozambique

A huge thank you to all 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 listeners who donated to our appeal. We are grateful to have raised £12,866 to help mothers2mothers' (m2m) African female health workers realise the dream of a healthy, HIV-free world by 2030. Every penny goes a long way, and helps us work with young mothers like Ana, across sub-Saharan Africa.

Ana was born with HIV, and has spent most of her life struggling to accept her status and stay on the treatment she needs. But her life changed in 2020, when she was pregnant with her first child, Nathaniel, and she was introduced to Isáliah, a “Mentor Mother” working for m2m at a local clinic. Isáliah—a frontline health worker also living with HIV—learned that a recent test showed that Ana had very high levels of HIV in her body, putting her health at risk, and increasing the chances she would pass on the virus to her unborn baby.

Isáliah sprang into action. By sharing her own journey of living positively with HIV, and providing health services, education, and support as an empathetic role model, she helped Ana finally come to terms with her status and restart her treatment. She ensured that Ana understood that if she stuck carefully to her treatment plan, she could reduce the levels of HIV in her body to almost zero, keeping her healthy and ensuring Nathaniel could be born HIV-free. And he was! Today, Isáliah continues to work with Ana and Nathaniel, making sure he stays HIV-free, thrives, and reaches all his developmental milestones.

With your help, m2m Mentor Mothers are able to support their clients like Ana and Nathaniel—at health facilities and in their communities—to access essential services and medical care, start on any treatment they need, and continue with their health journey. The funds raised through this appeal mean we can train an additional 38 Mentor Mothers, giving even more women, children, and families the best chance of health, hope, and an HIV-free future. Thank you for helping us change lives!

To find out more about how your support makes a difference visit our website .