Sponsor a Black/Brown Mother's Mental Health

Dear Donor and Supporter,

We’re excited to share early results from the evaluation of our 2025 Spring Cohort.

In January 2025, six Black and Brown mothers joined our Maternal Health Program—and all six completed the program in April. Here are a few key highlights from the evaluation:

• 9.5 out of 10 average participant satisfaction

• 25% improvement in wellbeing (WHO-5)

• 9.3% reduction in anxiety symptoms (GAD-7)

• 29% reduction in depression symptoms (PHQ-9)

• 13% reduction in trauma symptoms (PCL-5)

We’re proud of these outcomes and the tangible impact the program continues to have in the lives of Black and Brown mothers in our community.

Here’s what some of the mothers had to say:

“The program was very helpful to me, and I believe it will be helpful to the next mothers.”
“Worth ALL my time.”
“[The program helped] the feeling of not being alone on this journey of motherhood.”

We also received valuable feedback on how we can improve. The most common suggestion? Providing food during sessions. That’s something we’re committed to working on for future cohorts.

This summer, we’re preparing a full Impact Report covering both our Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 cohorts—look out for it in your next update.

This program wouldn’t be possible without your support. Thank you for continuing to believe in our work.

With gratitude,
The Maternal Health Program Team
Chantell, Pernille, Kaussar, Ethelia, Lexie, and Klaleh

Links:

• We were featured (again) in the New Haven Independent!

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for being an essential part of our mission to empower Black and Brown mothers with the knowledge, skills, and resources to support their own and others' mental health. Your generosity makes this work possible, and we are deeply grateful.

We are thrilled to share that on January 30, 2025 a new group of six women will begin their journey toward greater well-being and financial stability. Each of these women is a mother to an infant (a child under 12 months old), with 67% being single mothers and 83% living on an annual household income below $30,000. As with our Fall 2024 group, each participant will receive a financial stipend tied to in-person attendance. Our sessions will focus on accessible and actionable information, covering:

• Mental health and illness
• Stress management techniques
• Well-being practices
• Available community resources
• Financial literacy

We are especially excited about this Spring cohort because of the profound impact we saw with our Fall 2024 group. In that group, we measured remarkable improvements one month after program completion:

• A 24% reduction in anxiety (measured by the GAD-7 survey)
• A 60% reduction in trauma symptoms (measured by the PCL-5 survey)
• A 350% increase in time spent on weekly self-care activities

Additionally, participants rated their experience 10/10 for satisfaction, and every mother independently expressed a desire for this program to be available to all mothers.

We are eager to see how our Spring cohort benefits from the Maternal Health Program. Once this group completes the program, we will compile an Impact Report combining results from both the Fall and Spring sessions, which we will share with you in a future update.

Thank you again for your support and belief in this mission. At present, this program is funded entirely by private donations, making your contribution truly transformative.

With gratitude,
Pernille & the Maternal Health Program Team