Our Work
153.8 million women around the world are malnourished, contributing to an intergenerational cycle of hunger. We’ve been working to break this cycle since 2004 , and because of your generosity, we’re getting closer every day.
Mothers First is fighting to end hunger by providing targeted maternal nutrition interventions to malnourished pregnant and lactating mothers while advocating internationally for the nutritional rights of women during pregnancy.
In June 2022, Mothers First:
Admitted
27
New mothers enrolled in our nutrition program
Gave
240
Mothers receive nourishment + medicine
Babies Born
22
Healthy babies born into the program
Discharged
31
Healthy mothers + babies discharged
Our Approach
Mothers First approach is to target mothers who are pregnant and clinically malnourshed. We deliver high quality local food and Iron and Folic Acid every month to over 200 mothers. Our support continues for 3 months after delivery.
Dilivering this intervention raises the birth weigh of each baby born by between 150-200g. This increase in birth weight has life long health bennificts as well as improving cognitive ability. The intervention continues for 3 months to help help the mother recover as well as facialating breast feeding.
Mothers First works as an Independent Nutrion Advocate within the United Nations. This allows us bring the voices of the Furtest behind to the attention of high level dissision makers.
Being a Independent advocate is not always easy. Contributing to policy papers to working groups within the UN means that our understanding of the solutions and barriers to implementation continue to evolve.
Funding
Mothers First works as a voloutery organisation in Ireland. This means that all acts of generosity goes directly to the mothers invaransi who are most in need. Pat Mc Mahon funds all his travel and accomadion costs when working in the field or attending high level meetings.
Measuring Success: The 1000 Day App
“The first 1,000 days of life, the time spanning roughly between conception and one’s second birthday, is a unique period of opportunity when the foundation of optimum health, growth and neuro-development across the lifespan are established” – UNICEF
With this in mind, our team has implemented the use of the 1000 Day App to monitor the development of nutrition in patients. The app has been designed to be used by field workers to collect real time data, from targeted nutrition programs of malnourished pregnant mothers and for the community treatment of acute malnutrition in children (CMAM). This is the first time that such technology has been used in the field.
Stories From the Field
As a farmer's son in rural Ireland, his passion for traveling roads less traveled, found Pat Mc Mahon lost in a slum area in the city of Varanasi, Northern India.
Walking through the narrow streets, someone caught Pat’s eye. He met a child who would change the rest of his life. Tiza, only a baby, was literally dying of malnutrition. Desperate, he immediately took her to a private hospital close by to get her critical care. At that moment, the project began and Tiza’s life was saved. Within days he founded the charity that is now known as Mothers First, by renting 10 beds permanently from the private children's hospital that was treating Tiza.
2005, Pat meets Tiza
2015, Tiza now a healthy young woman
A Voice to the Voiceless
International Advocacy
Pat Mc Mahon is a voice for those that have no voice.
Pat’s unique voice is fuelled by 13 years directly in the field dealing with malnutrition and its consequences. Mothers First primary advocacy focus is on the lack of attention given to maternal malnutrition in global nutrition targets and the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations.
This picture shows the beginning of that advocacy journey in 2015. Silently and peacefully, Pat walked alone around a small roundabout in front of a conference centre in Geneva for three days. He walked, not in protest, but in solidarity with the women and children directly affected by malnutrition in our world. The delegates response was truly humbling. An umbrella, gloves, tea, coffee, food, and even a place to stay were offered and gratefully accepted.
A Proud moment.
After 3 years of advocacy, we played an instrumental role in ensuring anemia in women was included as an indicator to measure the Sustainable Development Goals. The delegation room was filled with UN Agencies, Government representatives, Civil society organizations -all with their own priorities.
The clock was ticking and no one was talking about women. Despite the nerves , Pat raised his name card to speak. It was not eloquent, it was full of nerves, but what he said contained the truth that at least 1 indicator was needed to measure women’s nutritional status. Pat’s was the last speech before the meeting was closed for deliberation. One hour later, the meeting was convened and anemia was included.