mothers2mothers

2019 Annual Report

Dear m2m Family, Friends, and Supporters,

Resilience is Brilliance is the theme of our 2019 Annual Report. That’s because resilience is one of the key ingredients to making our mission—achieve healthy, thriving families and an end to paediatric AIDS—a reality. 

Resilience has been critical in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. I witnessed this in 1985 in Oakland and San Francisco, California, when I served some of the earliest communities ravaged by HIV. Rather than letting fear and devastation win, communities harnessed their resilience which swelled into the most incredible united, global action focused on finding solutions and turning the tide of the pandemic. This resilience has inspired my lifelong career committed to achieving an HIV-free future, and why I feel so fortunate to witness the power of resilience each and every day at m2m.

The women employed at m2m as frontline health workers are personifications of resilience. They have found the strength to overcome their own challenges—including testing positive for HIV and confronting stigma and discrimination—and through employment, have attained even more control of their lives and futures. As m2m Peer Mentors, they now generously share their experiences, skills, and knowledge with women and families in their communities, supporting them to overcome obstacles and access the vital health services they need.

As our 2019 impact data demonstrate, m2m’s peer approach continues to improve the health and wellbeing of women and families by stopping new HIV infections among children and adults in their tracks, and ensuring individuals living with HIV are tested, started on treatment, retained in care, and achieve viral suppression. It makes me so proud that m2m has achieved virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for the 6th year in a row, with a transmission rate of 1.9% in 2019, well below the United Nations benchmark of 5%. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of women we served who are living with HIV accessed lifesaving treatment—substantially higher than an 85% benchmark in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Yet, stopping HIV is just the start. We use our lifecycle approach and strong relationships with families and communities to go beyond a narrow focus on HIV, providing services at key stages of life. In 2019, m2m reached 27% more adolescents (aged 10-19) and 20% more children (aged 3-9), compared to 2018. Furthermore, 94% of our early childhood development clients achieved all their developmental milestones at one year of age.

We are so grateful to our generous donors, partners, board members and trustees, staff, and friends who help make this impact possible. Thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with Peer Mentors and supporting them to create healthy, thriving communities and an HIV-free future across Africa.

To read more about the brilliance of resilience, please read our full 2019 Annual Report by simply continuing to scroll down.

Asante sana, Dankie, Enkosi, Ke a leboha, Medaase, Natotela, Ndi a livhuwa, Ndza Khensa, Ngiyabonga, Ngiyathokoza, Obrigado, Siyabonga, Webale Nnyo, Zikomo, and Gracias…

Abrazos, 

Frank Beadle de Palomo
President & Chief Executive Officer

When taking into account the economic, social, and health challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa, it is no surprise why it is one of the most health-compromised regions in the world—with the greatest number of new HIV infections, the highest maternal and child mortality rates, and a surge of non-communicable diseases (such as hypertension and diabetes). That leaves many women and families struggling against all odds to survive, let alone thrive.   

These challenges include….  

m2m strives to foster and build the resilience of the women and families we serve. At the heart of our efforts are the women we employ as Mentor Mothers, who embody what it means to be resilient. They have overcome their own challenges, including testing positive for HIV, and now lead by example—showing their clients that they are neither powerless nor alone, and inspiring them to take control of their health and their future. Armed with greater resilience, women and families have a better chance of navigating challenges in their lives, making healthy choices, and thriving. 

m2m builds resilience through... 

Our commitment to deliver health, hope, and an HIV-free future across sub-Saharan Africa starts with ending HIV. In 2019, we demonstrated our continued success in stopping new HIV infections in their tracks for both children and adults, and ensuring people living with HIV are tested, started on treatment, retained in care, and achieve viral suppression. 

Yet we do not stop there. We use our lifecycle approach and strong relationships with families and communities to go beyond a narrow focus on HIV, providing services at all stages of life. At m2m, ending HIV is just the start... healthy, thriving families and communities across sub-Saharan Africa is our vision for the future. 

Below are highlights from our 2019 Annual Programme
Review.

2019 Financials

mothers2mothers (m2m) is proud to report revenues of $26.69M for the year, a significant increase over our 2018 revenue of $21.7M. This is due in large part to growth in funding from existing donors, and continued revenue diversification. We end 2019 with reserves of $8.3M, of which $3.4M is unrestricted.

Support for our work continued from our largest donor, the United States government, via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some examples, based on ongoing strong outcomes, in which we saw significant increases include: a CDC sub-award in Malawi under EGPAF, a CDC sub-award in South Africa under TB/HIV Care, and prime awards from USAID in Lesotho and South Africa. Other partners that deepened funding commitments in 2019 included: an investment from LGT Venture Philanthropy to grow our scale and impact; and support from British Airways and Comic Relief to launch our first-time operations in West Africa, with a programme in Ghana. We also received continued support from other long-standing partners, including: Bickerstaff Family Foundation, Cartier Philanthropy, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Denise Coates Foundation, Jasmine Social Investments, Johnson & Johnson, National Department of Health (NDoH) South Africa, and UNICEF South Africa.

m2m is proud to report that our commitment to maximise resources reaching our beneficiaries has meant that 87% of all resources received are spent on our programmes.

The figures presented in this section are combined financial statements which are unaudited. Separate audited financial statements for m2m’s three global entities (South Africa, UK, and US) are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and are available on our website, m2m.org.

View Detailed Financial Statements for m2m South Africa
View Detailed Financial Statements for m2m United Kingdom
View Detailed Financial Statements for m2m United States 

Donors

mothers2mothers is grateful to our many partners and donors who support our work. Their generosity in 2019 helped transform the health and lives of over one million of women, children, adolescents, and men across sub-Saharan Africa this year alone.

Thank you!

To see our 2019 donors, click here

Cartier Philanthropy is committed to deliver maximum social impact for every dollar that we spend on poverty alleviation. m2m combines the expertise, efficient operations, rigorous monitoring, impact in maternal and child health, and the values that we look for in our partners.
— Pascale de la Frégonnière, Strategic Advisor to the foundation Council, Cartier Philanthropy
The brilliance of the m2m model is its peer-based approach that harnesses the capacity of women in local communities to help create healthy babies, families, and communities. We are honored to partner with m2m in the fight to end pediatric AIDS.
— The Imago Dei Fund
We are proud to have witnessed the growth from m2m over the past decade. They expanded into new geographies, enhanced their programme to cover a wide range of  reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services, and extended their reach beyond health facilities through working directly in the communities. On top of that, m2m also provides meaningful employment for thousands of women living with HIV. For us, m2m’s model means double the impact through one engagement.
— Tom Kagerer, Investment Director, LGT Venture Philanthropy

Boards

The m2m group is made up of three separate legal entities based in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each entity has its own Board of Directors. These Directors/Trustees*** are a diverse group of individuals committed to ensuring healthy, thriving families and an end to paediatric AIDS.

The individuals below serve on at least one of the three boards.


SA = Members of South Africa Board of Directors
U.K. = Members of U.K. Board of Trustees
U.S. = Members of U.S. Board of Directors

Board Chairs

Dr. Mitch Besser (U.S.)
Interim Chair, m2m U.S.
Founder, m2m

Charneill Sickle (SA)
Chair, m2m South Africa
Chartered Accountant

Carl Stewart (U.K.)
Chair, m2m U.K.
Global Head of Platform Origination, HSBC

I have been affiliated with mother2mothers for over 14 years and it has been my great pleasure to be part of the journey as it has grown in scale, scope, and impact, and broken new ground. 2019 was particularly exciting, with m2m providing clinical services and launching its programme in West Africa for the first time in its 19-year history. The global recognition it has received for its peer-led, community-based model is well deserved.
— Carl Stewart

Laura Bartlett (U.S.)
Vice Chair, m2m U.S.
Retired Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operations Officer

Carolina Manhusen Schwab (U.K.)
Vice Chair, m2m U.K.
Economist and Philanthropist

Board Members/Trustees

The Reverend Canon Chris Ahrends (SA)
Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Neal Baer, M.D. (U.S.)
Executive Producer

Paul Boskind, Ph.D. (U.S.)
Owner and CEO, Deer Oaks Behavioral Health Organization

Leslie Brunner (U.S.)
Chief People Officer, Devoted Health

Look beyond the data and results, at the field staff particularly, and you’ll see the true results. Here, you’ll meet a mother, who maybe a few years ago, or even months ago, was struggling, was stigmatised, was all but lost, but instead you’ll meet a self-assured, powerful African woman, engaged, committed, and changing the lives of other people; you’ll meet a person of profound dignity and purpose, who will change the way you understand power, commitment, destiny, humanity, and most of all, the way you understand love–and you’ll be both ever-humbled and completely blown away!
— The Reverend Canon Chris Ahrends

Dr. Lynne Cornelissen (SA)
Research Clinician, Stellenbosch University's Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu

Dr. Tim Evans (U.K.)
Medical Doctor

Colin Freund (U.S.)
CEO, MODRA Pharmaceuticals

Colleen Hancock (U.S.)
Advisor and Mentor

mothers2mothers’ peer mentor approach is an amazing initiative with measurable, game-changing results. This model is building capacity in sub-Saharan Africa’s critically understaffed health systems, creating better health outcomes for families, and providing a valuable source of economic empowerment for women. I am excited to be working closely with the organisation’s leadership as m2m grows its reach and impact even further.
— Colin Freund

Derek Lubner (SA, U.K.)
Philanthropist

Herschelle Milford (SA)
Organisational Development Consultant

Terry D. Peigh (U.S.)
Senior Vice President, Managing Director, Interpublic Group (IPG)

Meena Ravella (U.S.)
Advisor & Consultant

At the heart of mother2mothers are the inspiring women living with HIV, employed as Mentor Mothers, who work tirelessly to support at-risk women and families in their communities. They are the embodiment of empowerment. By generously sharing their own experiences, they give their clients the courage to take control of their health and future—and their employment brings them financial security and opportunities to be leaders and role models in their communities.
— Meena Ravella

Mojisola Rotibi (U.S.)
Consultant

Kate Schachern (U.S.)
Partner, Rabin Martin

Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, PhD, MMFI (SA)
CEO, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority

Non-Voting Members

Frank Beadle de Palomo
President & Chief Executive Officer, m2m

Robin Allinson Smalley
Co-founder and Chief Connector, m2m U.S.

Tom Kagerer
m2m South Africa Board Observer; Investment Director, LGT Venture Philanthropy

Officers of the Corporation

Chad D. Rathner
Secretary, m2m South Africa
Chief Operating Officer, m2m

Muhammad Salie*
Treasurer, m2m U.S.
Director, Finance and Administration, m2m
*Became Treasurer on 5 December 2019. Prior to this date, this role was held by Dan White.

Sarah Sheldon
Secretary, m2m U.S.
Senior Grants and Compliance Manager, m2m

Contact Us

Global HQ: mothers2mothers South Africa
33 Martin Hammerschlag Way, 5th Floor, Foreshore Cape Town, South Africa 8001 office: +27 (0)21 466 9160 contact: [email protected]

Europe: mothers2mothers U.K.
office: +44 (0) 203 867 7120  contact: [email protected]

North America: mothers2mothers U.S.
office: +1 (646) 808 3431  contact: [email protected]

To engage with us or support us, please contact: Emma France
Global Development and Strategic Engagement Director [email protected]
La Chenna Cromer
Business Development Director [email protected]

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Reference

*Disclaimer: mothers2mothers strives to provide accurate performance data. Our data quality and routine monitoring and evaluation systems are regularly reviewed and updated. We benchmark and validate internal data though external evaluations and data quality assurance processes. National and site comparisons often rely on public domain data; mothers2mothers has no control over the quality of such data. As m2m tracks mother-baby pairs, each pregnancy is catalogued as a new client in our PMTCT program, potentially cumulatively leading to a higher count for adult women clients.

** Viral suppression = less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood

*** mothers2mothers South Africa, mothers2mothers (U.K.) Limited, and mothers2mothers U.S. are separate, nonprofit organisations, governed independently.

1. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30418/9781464813306.pdf 

2. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-5-gender-inequality-index-gii 

3. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32281-5/fulltext (sub-Saharan Africa); 
https://vizhub.healthdata.org/sdg/ (Country data) 

4. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2017/october/20171002_confronting-discrimination

5. https://www.unaids.org/en/keywords/gender-based-violence

6. https://africaecnetwork.org/about-us 

7. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/UNAIDS_FactSheet_en.pdf

8. https://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/Abstract/2020/04010/Incident_HIV_among_pregnant_and_breast_feeding.12.aspx 

9. UNAIDS 2019: Eastern and Southern Africa

10. ibid

11. UNAIDS 2019

12. UNAIDS 2019: Eastern and Southern Africa

13. UNAIDS 2019, 35 Fast-Track countries

14. Knettel et al; 2017

15. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0223332

16. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0211439