Overview

Mma Wa Nnete is a community-led, preventative programme designed to improve maternal wellbeing by centring mothers’ voices and defining success based on the outcomes that matter most to them. Delivered through trusted local women, the model integrates emotional support, culturally relevant guidance, and practical help to access and navigate health and social services into routine care – strengthening both individual wellbeing and connections to existing services.

Piloted in Limpopo Province, South Africa, the programme reached nearly 1,800 mothers with strong uptake and engagement at a cost of just over $100 per mother–baby pair. The results demonstrate both impact and feasibility: over 85% of mothers reported improvements in emotional coping and preparedness for their babies across multiple measures, while early antenatal attendance increased significantly from 59% to 75%.

The programme has since gained recognition from ministries of health across Africa, regional bodies, and international platforms. It now sits at a pivotal point in its scaling journey, with growing interest in adapting and expanding the model to new settings while maintaining its community-led, outcomes-focused approach.

Over the next phase, the focus is on scaling delivery in South Africa, adapting the model to new country contexts, and strengthening the evidence base through more rigorous evaluation – working in partnership with governments and funders to extend its reach to thousands more mothers and babies.

To address both the scale of need and the gaps in existing support, and in alignment with global, regional, and national priorities to integrate mental health into maternal and child care, Mma Wa Nnete was designed as a community-led model shaped by mothers’ voices and focused on the outcomes that matter most to them.

Team + Partners

We are creating this program with our provider, Right to Care, and with the support of a strategic partnership with the Anglo American Community Health and Wellbeing division. Right to Care are a leading healthcare organisation with a 20-year track record in public health. Right to Care are well placed to implement the program with a strong contextual understanding, relationships with the ministry of health and clinical expertise . Anglo American have a long-term investment in the communities that the program will run in and this aligns to their existing community health and wellbeing programs.