About Us
MUMS for MUMS is a young charity dedicated to working with women who are some of the most marginalized and forgotten people in Ethiopian society. In particular, it works with young single mothers and with people living with HIV and AIDS and their families. Its aim is to give hope where there is no hope. The MUMS for MUMS Association is located in the town of Mekelle, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. From its beginnings of a skeleton of paid staff and some volunteers, it has grown to employ 19 paid staff. The volunteers are men and women who have come together to form the Association and also some local ex-pat development workers who volunteer in their spare time.
MUMS for MUMS was established in February 2001, and received legal recognition in May 2001. The initial purpose of the association was to address the problems of young, single, destitute mothers in Ethiopian society. The founding members did some research and found that there were many of these destitute mothers begging on the streets. There was not even the recognition in society that the problem existed. This is inevitable in a land where abject poverty is the norm rather than the exception.
The initial focus was on skills training for these mothers, with the aim of making them financially independent and thus able to get back on their feet. Some of the participants were trained to be HIV/AIDS counsellors. This led to a successful door-to-door campaign where the counsellors gave advice and raised awareness of HIV/AIDS.
The work of MUMS for MUMS has since evolved to include extended services in the area of HIV/AIDS - door-to-door counselling, group sessions, a voluntary counselling and testing centre (VCT) and home-based care. A further logical extension of this is the reproductive health advice service for men and women.
One part of the Ethiopian government's strategy to reduce under-nutrition is to encourage people to utilise cactus, which grows plentifully and freely in Tigray. MUMS for MUMS has developed recipes for cactus, incorporating it into traditional and new dishes. The food preparation skills training course passes these recipes onto women who then take the cactus ideas back to their families and villages.
In the time since MUMS for MUMS was founded, it has achieved recognition and acceptance. People are beginning to realize that its work is vital. They are beginning to see that it is meeting a need that is not addressed by any other one group or organization in particular. Click here to read more about the objectives and activities of Mums for Mums.