Celebrating Decade-Long Partnership with Gucci with Special Mother’s Day Events

11th May 2023

m2m U.S. Board Members and staff at New York event; Photos: BFA.com

mothers2mothers (m2m) was delighted to kick off our Mother’s Day celebrations in the U.S. by celebrating our long-standing partnership with Gucci and Gucci’s CHIME FOR CHANGE at two lovely events hosted by Gucci at their stores on 27th of April in New York City and on 4th of May in Los Angeles. m2m’s collaboration with Gucci spans a decade and includes a partnership with CHIME FOR CHANGE, which was founded by Gucci in 2013 to convene, unite, and strengthen the voices speaking out for gender equality. CHIME FOR CHANGE’s Co-Founder—Salma Hayek Pinault—serves as a global Patron of m2m. Emma France, m2m’s Global Development and Strategic Engagement Director, sits on the Advisory Board for CHIME FOR CHANGE.

The events brought together dozens of m2m supporters and new friends, Board members, and m2m senior staff. Among the special guests was Dr. Bridget Malewezi—a medical doctor, public health practitioner, and Director of m2m’s programme in Malawi—who we were so fortunate to have join the event in New York.

Insights from Dr. Bridget

Neena Patil and Bridget Malewezi

Dr. Bridget shared how the work of more than 1,200 strong, resilient, and determined women living with HIV, who are employed by m2m as community health workers called Mentor Mothers, is more important than ever—with more than half of the population unable to access the health care they need. In Malawi, 40% of the health care jobs are unfilled, and COVID-19, recent polio and cholera outbreaks, and weather emergencies like Cyclone Freddy have created additional strain on the country’s under-resourced health system.

Etim Duke and Amaka Ogeah, members of m2m’s Corporate Advisory Development Committee

“That’s the stark reality we are facing. But I want to talk about the strong, resilient women at m2m who have deep understanding of the challenges facing their communities, and draw on their lived experiences to link fellow mothers, adolescents, children, and men to care, and ensure they stay healthy and thrive,” Dr. Bridget said.

Celebrating a valued partnership

m2m is grateful to longstanding partners like Gucci who are helping us achieve even greater impact. m2m Board Member Neena Patil summed up the importance of this support: “Gucci has been a tremendous partner for mothers2mothers for 10 years. That partnership is all encompassing and include flexible funding for our programmes, sponsorship of our gala that takes place in London, and more recently it includes programmatic support for the important work that is happening in Ghana.”

m2m Co-founder Robin Smalley speaking at Los Angeles event; Photo: Sydney Jackson/BFA.com

In 2020, Gucci and CHIME FOR CHANGE launched a three-year partnership with m2m to provide additional support for our programme in Ghana, which marks the first time we have provided services in West Africa. A team of 33 Mentor Mothers work in three health facilities and surrounding communities with high levels of HIV to improve the health and well-being of women and girls, fight stigma, and ensure that little ones, aged 0-3, grow up to be healthy, well-developed children.

The programme offers pregnant women and new mothers—living with, or at risk of, HIV—vital education and support to help them and their families access health services, start and adhere to treatment, and stay in care. We also provide reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, nurturing care, and early childhood development services, designed to support the critical period of development from conception, through pregnancy and breastfeeding, to when children reach three years of age.