Today is mothers2mothers 20th birthday. Here, our President and CEO, Frank Beadle de Palomo, shares his reflections on this milestone. 

Happy 20th Birthday m2m! 😁  

Today marks 20 years since mothers2mothers (m2m) was founded. Over the past two decades, m2m has reached over 13.5 million people with life-changing health services, created more than 11,500 jobs, and delivered remarkable health impacts—including helping keep over two million women and children alive. All of this has been made possible by the inspirational frontline team of African women living with HIV trained and employed by m2m as community health workers. Women like Makeletso, whose story you can read below, and watch here. And of course, none of this could have happened without our amazing supporters, partners, and friends. 

There is a lot to celebrate, and we want you to join in with us. Please visit m2m.org/20years to learn more about our journey, and how to get involved in our anniversary celebrations.   

But for today, we really want to say “Thank You.”  

• Thank you to our frontline team whose skills, bravery, and tenacity have transformed health outcomes for a generation, including helping to prevent over four million new HIV-infections among adults in the past eight years alone.  

• Thank you to all our staff and Board Members/Trustees whose unwavering commitment to our mission has driven us from a single site in Cape Town, to a proudly African non-governmental organisation (NGO) working across 10 nations, serving well over a million people each year. 

• Thank you to all of you, our supporters and friends, whose support and encouragement has helped us grow, innovate, and change with the times—for example, we now use cutting-edge digital tools at 83% of our sites. (You can read more about our cumulative impact over the past 20 years here.) 

As much as we are proud of these achievements, it is the personal stories of hope and inspiration that motivate us each day—stories like Makeletso Khomonngoe‘s, an m2m Mentor Mother in Lesotho.  

“If there had not been mothers2mothers, I wouldn’t be employed, I wouldn’t be able to take care of my son. His name is Phoka Khomonngoe. He is now six years old. He is HIV –negative. 

“I know that I can be the leader that I am now just because I met mothers2mothers. People in my community understand the importance of us being here as mothers2mothers. So this makes me so proud, especially when I see my client going home happy and getting all the services.” 

In these difficult times, we truly believe that our work shows that a healthier, more equal world is possible if we join together and focus on what unites us. There is still so much to do, and such a long way to go to ensuring that we meet the Global Goals to end HIV/AIDS, guarantee health for all, and push for gender equality before 2030. But we know that with our community of supporters in our corner, and our incredible team at the frontlines, we are moving, ever closer to making that a reality. We are unstoppable! 

Yours, in celebration,  

Frank 

PS – If you are inspired by what you have read today, please consider making a donation to support our work.