Lasting impact in global health is rarely the result of short-term interventions. It is built over years of partnership, adaptation, and hard-won trust; when organisation not only reach millions of people but fundamentally change how care is delivered. mothers2mothers (m2m) is one such organisation.
Over more than two decades, m2m has grown from a bold response to the HIV/AIDS crisis into a leading integrated community and primary healthcare organisation across Sub-Saharan Africa. m2m has scaled a peer-led model that has reached over 17 million people and demonstrated that the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is possible. At LGT Venture Philanthropy (LGT VP), we support such organisations by providing both financial and non-financial support, offering flexible, multi-year core funding and building long-term partnerships that nurture and sustain collective impact. After over 17 years of partnership with LGT VP, m2m is now graduating from LGT VP's portfolio. What began as a targeted intervention to combat one of the most urgent health crises of our time, built on the most important currency available, the "trust" between mothers, has evolved into a story of resilience and lasting, system-wide impact across the region, far exceeding the ambitious goals we set at the outset of our collaboration.
When LGT VP first partnered with m2m in 2008, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was devastating communities across Sub-Saharan Africa, disproportionately affecting women and children. Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV was one of the most pressing challenges, shaped not only by limited access to effective care but also by stigma, fear, and a widespread lack of awareness.
m2m's response was both simple and transformative. By training and employing women living with HIV as "Mentor Mothers", the organisation built a trusted bridge between healthcare systems and the communities they serve. Drawing on their lived experience, these women provided not only health education, but also psychosocial support – helping others to navigate pregnancy, treatment, and motherhood under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
This peer-to-peer model has proven to be highly effective. m2m has routinely met and surpassed the global UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. For ten years, m2m has achieved virtual elimination (defined as a rate of 5 % or lower) of mother-to-child HIV transmissions and in 2023, went a step further to achieve full elimination (0 % transmission) – a stark contrast to the ~40 % transmission rates cited across Sub-Saharan Africa when m2m was founded back in 2001. This clearly demonstrates that elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission is both feasible and deliverable at scale.
LGT VP's early support came at a pivotal moment as m2m was considering different scaling strategies to embark on a pan-African expansion beyond its operations in South Africa and Lesotho. Over the course of the partnership, LGT VP provided tailored core funding, alongside strategic and operational support that helped the organisation grow in both scale and institutional strength.
From a presence in just two countries, m2m expanded to 13 African countries, serving over 17 million people while creating employment opportunities for 12,700 women living with HIV – showcasing that improved healthcare delivery and economic empowerment can go hand in hand. This direct delivery model was complemented by working closely with governments to strengthen local capacity, embed effective tools and systems, and support Ministries of Health to integrate elements of m2m's mentor mother model into health systems.
A critical enabler of this growth was flexible, core funding. LGT VP's tailored funding focused on strengthening core organisational functions such as governance, fundraising, financial management, and strategy. This enabled m2m to unlock significantly larger funding flows from institutional donors, ensuring programmes could be delivered effectively and sustainably in complex and resource-constrained environments.
As the needs of local communities evolved, so too did m2m. Today, the organisation has expanded beyond HIV/AIDS to address a wide range of health challenges affecting women, children, and adolescents. Its integrated healthcare package now covers maternal and newborn care, tuberculosis, malaria, and non-communicable diseases while also extending to broader social determinants of health, including early childhood development and gender-based violence prevention. This expansion reflects a deeper lesson from the partnership: health challenges rarely exist in isolation, and addressing them effectively requires a holistic, community-centred approach that supports individuals across different stages of life.
m2m has emerged as a recognised innovator within the global health ecosystem while its work has influenced policy at the highest levels. It was among the first organisations to deploy community health digital platforms at scale while its model has been cited as best practice by both UNAIDS and UNICEF. In 2021, m2m was granted Special Consultative Status by United Nations enabling the organisation to formally participate in UN policymaking.
The relationship between LGT VP and m2m extended well beyond financial support. Over the years, LGT VP worked closely with the organisation's leadership, contributing to strategic discussions and supporting key moments of transition, including leadership changes and shifts in organisational direction.
The LGT Impact Fellowship has placed 14 Impact Fellows – experienced, mission-driven professionals – to support key functions including strategy, partnerships, and operations. This has been complemented by collaboration on innovation initiatives, enabling m2m to test new ideas – including Africa's first social impact bond for early childhood development in 2017. This hands-on approach reflects a broader philosophy: that building strong organisations is as important as funding strong programmes.
In September 2024, after 16 years of partnership, LGT VP and m2m mutually agreed to graduate m2m from LGT VP's portfolio. This decision reflects how far the organisation has come, from an innovative, high-potential model into a globally recognised leader in community and primary healthcare.
A structured and carefully managed transition culminated in m2m's formal offboarding in December 2025. A key litmus test came in early 2025 when the sudden collapse of USAID triggered a sharp contraction in global development funding. LGT VP responded with emergency financial support and worked closely with the senior leadership team to review m2m's strategic plan in response to a dramatically altered funding landscape.
The partnership has generated important lessons that continue to inform LGT VP's approach. It has underscored the importance of trust-based, community-led interventions, the critical role of psychosocial support in healthcare delivery, and the need for organisations to balance growth with long-term sustainability.
LGT VP will remain connected to m2m, supporting its next chapter through networks, partnerships, and visibility. Ultimately, this journey illustrates what LGT VP aims to achieve: accompanying an organisation until it is strong enough to stand on its own, shaping systems, influencing policy, and delivering impact at scale.
And in that sense, the story of mothers2mothers is still being written.