Supporting Women through Crisis Pregnancy

Greetings to everyone!

Mother’s Heart Organization is excited to share with you our 2021 Annual Report. Many young, single mothers and their babies are alive and thriving today because of your generosity. Babies receive strong and safe beginnings in life when their mothers access our program and receive quality maternal health care they need. 

We continue to receive referrals of teenage pregnancies resulting from rape. Girls like Morokot, who experienced a trauma at a very young age. With the involvement of our community partners and partner-organizations, we are providing girls like Morokot who experienced trauma at a young age,  support and services they need with consideration to their specialized needs such as trauma counselling, quality maternal care and delivery, legal assistance, a safe shelter, among others. We are happy to report that the perpetrator in Morokot’s case is now serving jail time. Morokot, on the other hand, has since given birth. She continues to receive counselling and emotional support in a safe and secure environment where she can heal and recover from the trauma and take the next steps towards her future. 

Between July to September, nine (9) women and girls entered our program. Currently, we have a total of 64 women and girls in the Phnom Penh and Battambang programs, many of them who, like Morokot, are still children themselves (under 17). With the involvement of our partners, we were able to provide receive quality maternal health care and support services with special considieration to their age and circumstances. During this period, we had nine (9) babies born in our program, including twin boys. 

We also have six children benefitting from our daycare services in Phnom Penh while their mothers or caregivers are away at work, or attending vocational skills training. Often, these young mothers have no supportive family and the daycare provides them a safe and nurturing place for their children. 

Records show that all the beneficiaries in our program are healthy. During this period, the women and girls and their children/babies didn’t encounter any major health issues and there are no underweight or malnourished children. On the women’s and girls’ side, we observed that when they have spent time with our social workers and other partners (counsellors) over time, we can see a marked improvement in their behaviors and attitudes. Attachment to their babies is becoming more evident and they are opening up themselves, bravely asking questions about babies, caring for babies as well as their own health. They’ve become more confident, and their demeanor changed. Many of them opted to avail of the vocational skills training offered with the hope of learning skills that would allow them to earn incomes without leaving their babies and their villages. Some, especially the younger ones, have returned to schools or have expressed their keen interest in returning to school once they feel they are deemed ready.

Based on our records, we can say that we have success in ensuring that every woman, girl, and child in our program are safe and thriving. And this wouldn’t be possible without your continued support.  We are privileged to be able to continue serving our community through your generous gifts and belief in our mission. Should you have any questions, suggestions or feedback, please email us at communications@mothersheartcambodia.org, or follow us on Facebook. Thank you again!

Team Mother’s Heart

Links:

• Mother's Heart Organization