NURTURING MOTHERS. NOURISHING BABIES
Mothers First works alongside vulnerable mothers and families, providing practical support, healthcare access, nutrition, education, and community-based programmes that create lasting change.
Discover Our Projects
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Mothers First was founded in 2004 as a small hospital specialising in severe malnutrition in children.
In 2015 we changed our approach to target malnourished pregnant mothers with a food based intervention. The program provides them with food and supplements delivered through the health system.
Our results have been not short of remarkable.
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In 2023, Mothers First established a Listening Tent to hear directly from a newly relocated community of more than 500 households.
Through this process, the community developed six key initiatives. Today, Mothers First works alongside three relocated communities, funding community-led projects that empower local people to address extreme poverty and improve maternal and family wellbeing.
Together, we have:
Built a Birthing Centre and Learning Centre.
Trained traditional birth attendants to improve maternal care.
Provided toilets and emergency shelter for the most vulnerable households.
Established microloan programmes to help families build sustainable livelihoods.
Created kitchen gardens to improve household nutrition and food security.
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In March 2026, Mothers First expanded its Mother Programme into Africa following a partnership formed when the founders of Mothers First and the Urembo Women Development Organisation met. Together, they extended the flagship Mother Programme to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The programme replicates the incentive-based delivery model developed in India and is currently providing nutritious food twice a month to 40 undernourished pregnant women.
Donate to the Congo Project
Support expectant mothers in the Democratic Republic of Congo by providing life-changing nutrition, prenatal care, and essential support when they need it most.
In March 2026, Mothers First expanded its Mother Program to Africa following a partnership formed nine months earlier at the Food Systems Summit, where the founders of Mothers First and the Urembo Women Development Organisation first met. United by a shared commitment to improving maternal nutrition, they joined forces to bring vital support to pregnant women and their communities.
Join this misson
What You Receive as a Supporter
1. Membership Certificate
Receive a personalised certificate recognising your support.
2. Project Newsletter
Get regular updates on the East Africa expansion and its progress.
3. Monthly Planning Calls
Join monthly calls to hear updates and share ideas.
4. Community Forum
Connect with other supporters and follow the project's journey.
Where Your Donation Goes
$22 Supports One Mother For One Month
Nutritious Food Basket $12.10
Transport to Health Facility $6.00
Project Support and Monitoring $2.95
Health Facility and Contribution $0.76
Maintainence $0.26
Total $22
Mothers first. Let us ignite the lamp of humanity by taking a pledge to help and support undernourished expectant mothers by treating it in the first place by providing enough supplements through joining hands with Mothersfirst.
Latest News
Selflessness and compassion are not just terms. These two entirely describe humanity and the passion to serve others with extreme love. Pat, once again, holds the dignity to cherish the values of ending malnutrition among expectant mothers in impoverished countries like India and Somaliland. Be in your good vibes and buckle up To end this extreme cause, Mothers First is organising The 45th Echo Women's Mini Marathon on Sunday, September the 20th, 2026, at Centre Park Road, Ballintemple, Cork.
Mothersfirst is hosting a women's mini marathon to complete the remaining half of the pilot programme based in DRC. The DRC programme funding would be done via sponsorship. Women of all age groups are welcome to partipate in the event. The total distance would be 6ms. Calling all women runners and changemakers to gear yourself up with energy and enthusiasm to help us combat malnutrition through participation.
Our mission and accomplishments
Driven by Lancet, a medical journal published in 2013, Mothersfirst began its journey by opening the children's hospital in Northern India in 2014. Then, in the year 2015, we changed the approach entirely by switching to treating undernourished pregnant women by giving nutrients and thus stopping malnutrition among the newborn infants in the first place. Heading towards our accomplishments, we brag about launching the 12-month scalable pilot program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are now halfway through our pilot program, and we are hosting a women's mini marathon where women of all fitness levels are highly welcome to run a 6kms race and help us steer the journey towards its completion.
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2 paragrafs
Somiland, East Africa
We work with 3 relocated comunities and fund community lead action to empower communities to long term solutions to ending extreme poverty.
Were we need you support now
In March 2026, we brought the Mother Program to Africa. This happened when the Founders of Mothers First and Urembo Women Development Organisation
meet at the Food Systems Summit 9 months previously
Better round table grafic meetings every month
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Somiland, East Africa
We work with 3 relocated comunities and fund community lead action to empower comunitys to long term solutions to ending extreme poverty.
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In 2023 Mothers First carried out a Listening Tent with the comunities. 6 durable solutions were identified
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What began as a passion project has evolved into something more. We’re proud of where we’ve been and even more excited for what’s ahead. What sets us apart isn’t just our process—it’s the intention behind it. We take time to understand, explore, and create with purpose at every turn.
Mothers First est 2004
Now we're taking the next step.
Help Us Bring Mothers First
to Congo.
We're seeking 200 supporters to contribute just €5 per month to help establish and sustain our flagship programme in East Africa. Together, we can provide support, resources, and opportunities for mothers and children who need them most.
Nutritious Food Basket $12.10
Transport to Health Facility $6.00
Project Support and Monitoring $2.95
Health Facility and Contribution $0.76
Maintainance $0.26
Total $22
For over 20 years, Mothers First has worked alongside mothers and families in India, providing practical support, healthcare access, nutrition, and community programmes that have transformed lives.
Bringing Hope to East Africa
The success of our work in India has shown what can be achieved when communities come together.
We are now preparing to bring this proven model to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where many mothers and families face similar challenges.
Learn more about our work in the DRC here.
Where Your Donation Goes
$22 Supports One Mother for One Month
What You Receive as a Supporter
1. Membership Certificate
Receive a personalised certificate recognising your support.
2. Project Newsletter
Get regular updates on the East Africa expansion and its progress.
3. Monthly Planning Calls
Join monthly calls to hear updates and share ideas.
4. Community Forum
Connect with other supporters and follow the project's journey.
This is a real-time, meaningful, social experiment on collective action.
We walk together, we hold hands together and we hope together.
More about our work in the Congo That we are asking your support for.
A Fortuitous meeting at the food systems summit in Ethiopia in July 2026. Her invitation has led to a beautiful project being implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just 7 months later.
Watch that beautiful journey here and be part of our journey together.
7 minutes of Possibility
By Mothers First
7 minutes of Possibility is a beautiful journey into the world that we have created by your acts of generosity.
Come journey with us and help us become what we have yet to be.
Where and how our work has evolved in 21 years.
From Varanasi Childrens Hospital to Mothers First
From responding to emergencies to prevention . Empowering mothers is building stronger and more resilient families.
In this Interview in 2012 Founder of Mothers First retells the extraordinary and heart warming story of how Mothers First was founded and its ability to adapt and change.
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Mothers First is provided targted food interventions to over 210 pregant and malnoursed mothers each month.
visit our web page here
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Fullfilling a long held desire to work in Africa. Mothers First began working in a comunity of 600 households in Somiland. The project is about listening to the comunity needs and responding. We have built a bithing centre, developed a miro loans project and water and sanitiotion projects.. Please visit our web page here.
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In February 2026, Mothers First successfully replicated our approach in India to target clinically malnoursed Mothers with local food
Our work in Pictures
India
In 2015 Mothers First transitioned from a program treating severe malnutrition in children
to focus on mothers who were malnourished and pregnant.
Targeting the mothers with highly nutritious food
babies were born better nourished.
We work with care and compassion.
severe malnutrition in children no longer exists in these villages.
Bringing Generational hope.
Our Work in Pictures the Congo
Founders of Mothers First and Rainbow Women Development met at the Food System Summit in Ethiopia in July 2025
February 2026, just 7 months later we begin our new program in the Congo
First Assessment Day
Our targeted approach means that only the most vulnerable mothers receive our intervention.
Super Cereal
The Mothers we work for.
And the Joy
Our Work in Pictures
Somaliland
in 2023 an opportunity presented itself to extend our work beyond India
we held a listening tent for a community of over 500 households who had recently been relocated to a permanent settlement in Somaliland in East Africa.
Listening
The new village
Each Family was given 9 meters by 10 meters
To built a future
All work in the village is carried out by the community themselves.
construction of toilets and shelter repair for the most vulnerable
The traditional midwives asked for a birthing center
The Birthing Centre we Build
Miro Loan Project
Community Discussions
Dry Land Agriculture Project
Our Work in Pictures
Enjoy the Joy
Our work is all about increasing Birth Weight.
We do this by targeting Mothers who malnoursed them selves
We do this by measuring the mothers weight and height
and when they fit the International creteria for malnutrion we provide a food and medicience basket every month.
We contuine the intervention for the first 3 months after dillivery
Every Month approximately 25 babies are born into the project have recied almost 8 months of support
We monitor not just birth weight but the babies height and weight are tracked
Our work is all about increasing Birth Weight.
We do this by targeting Mothers who malnoursed them selves
We do this by measuring the mothers weight and height
and when they fit the International creteria for malnutrion we provide a food and medicience basket every month.
We contuine the intervention for the first 3 months after dillivery
Every Month approximately 25 babies are born into the project have recied almost 8 months of support
We monitor not just birth weight but the babies height and weight are tracked
Our work in Somilland East Africa
As part of the Lis tening tents project
Part of the small business loans for 7 women lead household
Within a hour of kitting out the Birthing centre this happened. Please find this short film of that day