$$News and Reports$$

Nov. 19, 2015
 



 

Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich will bestow the mayor’s award for outstanding volunteer organization for 2015 on the University’s “Mom to Mom” project on Monday. 

"Mom to Mom" is a project designed to help mothers cope with the first year of parenting through home visits of volunteer mothers.  The aim is to provide support and guidance to mothers of the Negev who feel that they lack adequate support to make the transition smoothly. The security and economic situations of the Negev present unique challenges, complicated by the fact that more than 30% of the population is new immigrants – most of whom are cut off from traditional familial and social support networks. 

Home visits are provided once a week up to one year post-partum by experienced mothers who are trained and supervised by the staff of BGU’s Center for Women’s Health Studies and Promotion founded by Prof. Julie Cwikel, and coordinated by Ms. Limor Niego (MSW), with the administrative support of Ms. Nirit Segal. Over the last nine years, the program has helped over 400 new mothers and trained over 200 volunteer mothers. More than 95% of participants would recommend the program to a friend and 42% of volunteers have returned to mentor another new mother, some as many as five mothers over the years.   

Prof. Cwikel explains:  "The award recognizes the important role that our volunteers play in the lives of new mothers from around the Negev.  As professionals, we train and support the volunteers, who embrace the mothers, who hug their infants, bringing positive changes throughout the family, creating ripple effects based on secure attachment.  We at the Center want to acknowledge the help we have received from donors and from health care professionals who volunteer their time to give us professional backing.  The model is so successful that we are hoping it will be duplicated throughout Beer Sheva."  

The Ben-Gurion University Center for Women’s Health Studies and Promotion is the only academic center in Israel focusing on promoting women’s health while combining cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary research with community outreach. 

"Mom to Mom" originated with Jewish Family and Children's Services of Boston and was brought to Israel by Dr. Marsha Kaitz, a developmental psychologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who runs such a project and provided the initial training for BGU’s staff.  

One of its important features is that it has been evaluated and found most effective in preventing mental health distress among the birthing mothers and in developing a positive mother-infant bond for those in the project. Our evaluation has shown that it is very effective in preventing and treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, (what we used to call post-partum depression). Moreover, evaluation of such programs shows that children whose mothers were in "Mom to Mom" programs are more communicative, are higher achievers in school, and are perceived as well adjusted by their teachers. 

For the birthing mothers, the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with an experienced mother helps builds their confidence and their problem-solving abilities.  These networks have proven to be an invaluable resource during times of security stress, when leaving home is complicated by worry about safety. 

For the volunteer mothers, their investment in a mother struggling with challenges that they have experienced themselves offers them a way to make a meaningful contribution to another woman and to her infant, and thus to the larger community of women, children and families.   “We salute our volunteers!!!” says Cwikel. 

"Mom to Mom" Facebook Page (in Hebrew)