What we do

~2,500

Women have been greatly impacted by Mother’s Heart Organization.

The Problem

There were no organisations or social services offering emotional, medical, or social support to vulnerable women.

Being a single mother is a quick way to poverty and brings social shame. This financial burden and loss of reputation lead women to crisis, feeling overwhelmed, isolated, like they have no choice but to abort/traffick/abandon their babies and for some, even commit suicide.

Women are referred to us from a multitude of vulnerable backgrounds such as:

sexual exploitation
physical and emotional health problems
orphaned
addictions
rape
underage
HIV positive
poverty, etc.

They find themselves with crisis pregnancies and there are no services available in Cambodia for this vulnerable population. These women’s vulnerabilities are compounded when they become single and pregnant. Without support, their vulnerabilities not only cause crises in their own lives but also can endanger their babies to trafficking, abuse, neglect, and institutionalisation.

The Hard Truth

2000

maternal deaths every year. 10x higher than Thailand. 4x greater than Vietnam

90%

of garment factory workers don’t know about reproductive health.

3 out of 4 children in orphanages have parents

50%

increase of Children from single parent households being trafficked.

1 in 3

children are engaged in labour

47%

of pregnancies in Cambodia were unplanned in 2015-2019. 65% of them ended in abortion (Bearak et al., 2022).

30%

in the 15-19 age group in 2021 to 2022, found themselves pregnant, The Ministry of Health Cambodia (2022) found

12 years

The age of the youngest beneficiary In the Mothers Heart program

According to Rizvi et al., (2019) in Cambodia unplanned pregnancies for women under the age of 30 cause negative social, economic, and personal implications for child and mother which makes unintended pregnancies an important public health issue.

How we are trying to solve the problem

Mother’s Heart is the first and currently only crisis pregnancy centre in Cambodia. It was founded in response to research that showed one in five women in Cambodia had unwanted/unplanned pregnancies.

Mother’s Heart has developed a program that is at the forefront of preventing child family separation and supporting women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies.

We proactively support single women and their families through crisis pregnancies. We ensure that every child of a single mother in our pregnancy support program is either raised by his/her mother, extended family or is placed in permanent foster care.

Mother’s Heart has two main programs:

Crisis Pregnancy Counselling
Pregnancy Support Program

Through our Crisis Pregnancy Counselling program, every woman is able to make informed decisions on what is best for her and the future of her baby.

Our Pregnancy Support program offers women access to support if they want to parent their babies, find close relatives who can parent their babies, or place their babies in a new family.

Our Programs

Crisis Pregnancy Counseling

"Supporting women through crisis pregnancy." Save Cambodian mothers from having to sell their babies or placed in orphanages, remain in sex work, or feel apprehension at the arrival of their newborn. Give these women and their new babies a chance at life by providing them with quality health care, stable housing, nutritious food, vocational training, and job placements.

Challenge

Women in Cambodia face crisis pregnancies for many different reasons: they are abandoned by the father of the baby, are pregnant from incest or rape, live in poverty, have medical complications, etc. Almost 8,000 babies in Cambodia die each year within the 1st month of their lives. Mother's Heart was established in response to the absence of crisis pregnancy services and was created to support Cambodian women and girls facing crises during or due to their pregnancies.

Solution

Advance the quality of life for women and girls in crisis pregnancies by providing counseling; safe medical care before, during, and after delivery; secure community based housing; jobs skills training and job placement what will allow women to walk towards a brighter future for themselves and their newborns.

Long-Term Impact

Babies will be able to physically and mentally develop on track during their early months of life as they can receive needed nutrition and medical care before and after birth. Mothers will be self-sufficient and self-sustaining for the rest of their lives from counseling, life skills, and job training/placement they received.

Pregnancy Support Program

The first six weeks after birth are the most critical. You can help save lives by giving a new mother the essential things like a bassinet, cloth diapers, blankets, a container for clean water, and soap. Your gift also provides regular visits from our midwife and social services. Our tuk-tuks are also available to take our women and babies to medical facilities (ambulance services are very limited in Cambodia).

Challenge

Savannah just turned 15. When she realised she was pregnant, she told her boyfriend. He left soon after. Her parents got angry and threw her out of the family home. Alone, scared, she was referred to us by a local NGO. We supported her through pregnancy and delivery, and provided her with counseling. At this critical time, a baby's best chance of survival, is a healthy mother. Our priority is to keep our solo-parent and their newborns healthy and strong. And provide a chance to bond.

Solution

You will provide a kit containing all necessary items to keep 40 mothers and newborns healthy. It includes everything needed the first 3 months. It will be completed by regular visits from our midwife, social workers and parental training. The basket includes: - Clean water Kit - Baby Mattress with 2 pillows and linen - Plastic Bath Tub for baby - Baby hygiene products - Baby Clothes - Child carrier - Washable nappies kit - Post partum kit (hygiene, clothes, etc.)

Long-Term Impact

Babies will be able to physically and mentally develop during their early months of life, as they can receive needed nutrition and medical care, before and after birth. Mothers will be self-sufficient and self-sustaining for the rest of their lives from counseling, life skills, and job training/placement they received. Hence, they won't be vulnerable to trafficking, and build a real rapport with their child. It will stop the vicious cycle of poverty, and create a better future for Cambodia.