Mothers x Mothers

Two women holding small children while facing each other and smiling

Create a health meetup that facilitates better conversations around COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. 

IDEO.org and Refugee Women’s Network co-designed a health meetup called Mothers x Mothers with a group of refugee and immigrant women to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in their communities. With this toolkit, organizations can plan and implement their own Mothers x Mothers meetup groups. The elements of the toolkit are informed and tested by mothers’ experiences, and create the conditions to have a judgement-free conversation around the vaccine among mothers. It’s all about connection, belonging, and autonomy. 

TESTIMONIAL  
“What’s special is that it’s tailored to them. It's not CNN. It's specific to Somali mothers and answers their questions . A lot of people just want their questions answered before they get the vaccine.”

- Participating mother

PROMISING OUTCOMES  
4 mothers decided to get vaccinated and 1 mother booked her appointment on the first meetup of 13 mothers organized in Dec 2021 by the Refugee Women’s Network).

Co-designed by refugee and immigrant mothers, for mothers

The Mothers x Mothers toolkit helps you create those meetup experiences that promote connection, belonging and autonomy among mothers who attend. By equipping community mothers with the tools to host their own meetups, we can increase access to relevant information delivered in a safe, supportive space. 

Meetups are informal gatherings of people with shared interests or identities. Mothers x Mothers is a community health meetup for mothers to connect with each other and talk about key health issues facing their families, starting with the COVID-19 vaccine. It is a time for mothers to:

  • Take a break from the labor of caregiving.
  • Connect with other mothers and counter the isolation of life in a new country
  • Share health concerns in a safe environment and get reliable information from trusted peers
Illustration of four women sitting in a circle and talking to each other
Implementers Planner

Plan  

This planner consists of a set of checklists that any organization can use to spark thinking and account for the logistics ahead of hosting a meetup.

Moms x Moms advertisement as shown on a sandwich board

Promote  

Create digital or print invites tailored to the communities you are serving. Fun and friendly, they serve as a first look into the meetup. 

Graphic illustration of facilitation guide booklet

Prepare  

This guide provides an a detailed look at the pre-meetup activities, instructions and facilitation tips for the meetup presentation slides, and how to conduct a post-meetup interview.

Preview of PowerPoint presentation being shown on a tablet computer

Present  

This section has everything you need to run a meetup around the COVID-19 vaccine. The slides include speaking notes, and there is also an agenda, sign-in sheet, and other downloads to make your event successful. Follow-up with mothers with WhatsApp scripts, videos, flyers and more.