Gift 40 babies with the best start in life

Dear Friends,
Thank you for standing with Mother's Heart. This has been a season of growth for the mothers and children in our care. We wanted to share some of what looked like since June, made possible by you.

Sophea's Story
Sophea, not her real name, was 16 and in Grade 9 when her family discovered she was seven months pregnant, after surviving repeated abuse. Ashamed of how her village now saw her, she left school. A partner organisation referred her to Mother's Heart, where our social worker and midwife walked alongside her through the rest of her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter.

Sophea didn't want to return to school, but she did want to learn a skill and earn an income. We connected her with a training partner in Phnom Penh, where she trained in hotel housekeeping, while Mother's Heart provided baby milk formula so she didn't have to worry about her daughter's needs while she was away completing her course. Another partner NGO provided monthly food support for her family. Her parents cared for the baby back home, encouraging her both through her training and through the court case she was pursuing against her abuser. The case ended in his conviction earlier this year.

By mid-2026, Sophea completed her training and stepped into her first job in a hotel in Phnom Penh. She says she doesn't know where she'd be without Mother's Heart. Today, she's just beginning to earn her own income and take the first steps toward a more stable future for her and her daughter.

What Your Support Made Possible Since June

• New mothers welcomed into our program: seven in Phnom Penh, four in Battambang
• Babies born safely into our care: three in Phnom Penh, four in Battambang
• Women in vocational training across hotel housekeeping and food processing: two in Phnom Penh, three in Battambang. Two graduated in hotel housekeeping - one has completed her internship and started her job right away, while the other begins her internship this coming October.
• Beyond formal vocational training, some mothers are building livelihoods of their own: since June, two have started growing vegetables, raising chickens and fish, and one has started a BBQ food business.
• Five girls are in school: four in Battambang, one in Phnom Penh.
• Two families had their homes repaired or renovated: one in Phnom Penh and one in Battambang, with the support from our community partners.

Not every mother is ready for training yet. Some are still pregnant, some are newly adjusting to life with a baby, and some live with disabilities that mean we're working closely with their families and our community partners (our village of support) to find the right path forward. We're committed to taking the time this requires, so that each mother has a genuine path from crisis to independence and stability. One that breaks the cycle of generational poverty for herself and for her child.

We are also glad to share a staffing update. We were able to recruit a new social worker to support our growing caseload in Phnom Penh. This position had been vacant since last year, and your support made it possible to fill it, easing the workload on our existing team and allowing us to give each mother and family the attention they need.

In the coming months, we're celebrating our vocational training graduates, welcoming new mothers to the program, supporting more safe deliveries, and expanding our support to more mothers based on their needs. Sophea's story is one of many like it, and with your continued partnership, we look forward to walking alongside more mothers like her.

With gratitude,
Team Mother's Heart

Links:

• Our 2025 Annual Report
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