mother and baby unit

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Anastasia is a young single mother in Ukraine. Alone and homeless when her daughter was born, she thought her only option was to abandon her.

“As soon as Oksana was born I was worried about our future. I had no way of supporting her, I had no money or home to go to. When I was in the maternity ward the nurse kept asking me to leave, and I would beg for a few more days, knowing that we would be homeless.

On my last day in the ward I met with a lady from Hope and Homes for Children. We talked for hours about my problems and what my plans were. She told me all about their Mother and Baby Unit and how I could stay there until I found somewhere to live.

I have been here for four months and I thank you for everything. My baby has a secure home and I have received skills training and help finding work. In two months time I will be moving to a small flat and working part time. It’s a brand new start in life for both of us.”

Our Mother and Baby Units in Ukraine, Bosnia and in Sierra Leone provide young mothers, like Anastasia, with the right support at the most critical time.

Without such support, young vulnerable mothers are in serious danger of abandoning their babies. They see institutions as their only alternative, where they think that at least their children will be fed and have a roof over their head.

In reality the institutions do more harm than good; lack of funding and specialised care means that many children develop physical and emotional problems.

Our Mother and Baby Units provide the young mothers with everything they need for their babies. They can stay in the Units for up to six months giving them time to form a strong bond and giving us time to help them plan their future.

Programmes like the Mother and
Baby Unit help to prevent children from being abandoned. It is one example of the way in which Hope and Homes for Children is leading the movement for change in childcare services across Eastern Europe.