MOTHERS WITHOUT BORDERS
Nurturing and Caring for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children for over 25 Years
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
More than 1.1 million adults in Zambia live with HIV/AIDS, the majority of whom are women. Over the past several decades, AIDS has taken the lives of many of these parents and caretakers, exposing over 1 million children to the harsh realities of life on their own and has contributed to the current fact that 1 in 18 people in Zambia is an orphan under the age of 18. Subsequently, it’s common for these children to head their households and provide for siblings, often requiring them to drop out of school or turn to sex trafficking to earn money. These circumstances trap them in a cycle of poverty, hunger, and compromised health. As whole communities have experienced the effects of this problem, the social issues they face are complex and multi-generational. Combating these issues requires holistic, community-wide programs that strengthen these local communities in their efforts to empower their children in crisis.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
General Efforts
For over 20 years, Mothers Without Borders has worked in Zambia to address the orphan crisis. The problems these communities face are complex and far reaching. They require that we take both a holistic and individualized approach as we strengthen local communities, empower women and youth, and care for the most vulnerable children. We are committed to sustainable solutions led by the individuals who reside in these communities, above all we value local wisdom.
We focus on the individual development of each person we serve and our methodologies are based in holistic efforts to nurture an individual’s physical, emotional, and mental development. This empowers each individual we interact with to become the best version of themselves as they pursue their dreams. We believe that love is at the center of all we do and is essential to empowering each individual to reach their potential.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Children, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Orphans
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The totals given in this metric represent the women and children directly served in our orphan care, education, and empowerment programs—as well as local Zambian staff employed in these programs.
Number of clients participating in educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children, People of African descent, At-risk youth, Orphans
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric includes children enrolled in grades 1-7 at The Carol Zulu Primary School as well as youth enrolled in secondary education or apprenticeship programs in the 17 to Self Reliance program.
Number of jobs created and maintained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People of African descent, Work status and occupations, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric includes the number of local Zambians employed to run MWB programs. This includes full-time, part-time and agricultural management staff.
Total revenue earned to support advocacy efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, People of African descent, At-risk youth, Orphans
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric represents total revenue in USD earned in donations in each fiscal year.
Number of students who perform at average or above on standardized testing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Each year when the students at our primary school take their 7th grade exams, they have maintained a 100% pass rate. The national average is 65%.
Number of children in foster care who have stable placements
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Adolescents, People of African descent, Orphans
Related Program
General Efforts
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This metric represents youth in our youth empowerment programs who are placed with foster families in order to attend secondary school, enroll in apprenticeship programs, or study at a college.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Mothers Without Borders offers hope in developing countries by strengthening local communities in their efforts to: 1) nurture children in crisis by providing a safe home, clean water, nutrition, education, and access to caring adults who invite healing from trauma; and 2) empower women and youth with literacy and business skills. We teach principles of conscious living, personal growth, and self-reliance to inspire each individual to be the best version of themselves.
Our 3-year goals are to expand current programs to 1) reach 10 additional communities while maintaining quality and preparing for further scale, 2) establish an evaluation protocol, an ongoing process evaluation, a baseline impact evaluation of all programs, and a mechanism to implement lessons learned from these evaluations, and 3) expand US fundraising infrastructure to meet growing operational and capital needs with an emphasis on building long-term, sustainable donor relationships.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We strengthen local communities in their efforts to care for children in crisis by leveraging our ability to:
1. Value local wisdom above our own.
2. Operate community-driven programs that focus on individual development.
3. Teach principles that inspire conscious living.
4. Give voice to the power of love.
This provides life-transforming value for every individual served by our programs, as well as every donor and volunteer.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Mothers Without Borders has been supporting local communities with large orphan populations in developing countries for over 30 years. We have a strong commitment to local wisdom—relying on the knowledge and cultural competence of our local Zambian staff. Our Zambian Country Director, Josephine Daka—a local member of the Lusaka, Zambia community and a licensed Social Worker—leads our program planning and implementation efforts, ensuring effective programming that is specific to the needs and readiness of the communities we serve. To ensure the sustainability of our Zambian programs, our US staff is trained in program planning, fundraising, marketing, and nonprofit management. We have developed a community of donors dedicated to furthering the MWB mission through locally led, loved-based programs serving Zambian women and children. We continue to improve our sustainability efforts by: 1) strengthening community infrastructure through local wisdom and 2) developing financial security through monthly giving and corporate sponsorships.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We focus our work in Zambia, Africa where we partner with local organizations to bring hope to the most vulnerable women and children in these communities. We believe in creating locally led, love inspired programs focused on long-term, sustainable outcomes. Love is at the center of all that we do and is essential to providing sustainable, individualized care. In assessing the needs of the Lusaka community, our local staff determined that orphan care, education, and women’s empowerment should be our greatest focus in providing sustainable change to the community.
1. The Children’s Resource Center—the MWB orphan transition center that over the years has supported over 338 children brought in from situations of abuse, abandonment, trafficking, or the death of parents.
2. The Carol Zulu Primary School provides 641 children from the surrounding community with 1-7 grade education. Our primary school is proud to have a 100% pass rate on the seventh grade national exam, whereas the national average is close to 65%. The 17 to Self-Reliance and Be That Girl programs aim to support youth in continuing their education in through both secondary education, vocational training sponsorships, and mentorship—with 402 youth currently in this program.
3. We partner with 4 community schools to provide daily school lunch to an average of 2,400 children each month. In 2021, we provided more than 833,682 meals to individuals in need. Additionally, the Women’s Empowerment provides 315 women with skills-training and literacy to encourage self determination to reach their full potential, and 97+ Zambian women and men are employed throughout programming to support the families in these communities.
As we work to expand our programming, we currently serve 17 communities through our programming. In each of these programs, we measure success through individual development—supporting the dreams and aspirations of each woman and child within our programs. One example of this is a boy who, when he first came to the CRC, was struggling because of the severe abuse and neglect he had experienced. He was violent and, because of his extreme circumstances, had been told by many that there was nothing they could do to help him. As our staff embraced him, they knew that with love and time, he would overcome these challenges—and he has. He struggled with school but was skilled with his hands, so he was placed in an apprenticeship program where he studied to become a mechanic. He recently graduated and is qualified to work independently in the community, and has been hired by MWB to repair our vehicles and work for our agriculture project. This young man had the courage to dream—despite the difficulties that surrounded him—and found that with support, he was capable of achieving those dreams. His story would be very different if he had not come to live at the CRC over a decade ago.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
MOTHERS WITHOUT BORDERS
Board of directorsas of 06/09/2023
Linda Williams
Melissa Gardner
Spencer Hewlett
Joel Gardner
Heidi Goar
Jared Noftle
Shelly Noftle
David Mann
Kathy Headlee
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/31/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.