Awareness and education
Radio shows, market outreaches, school talks and social media, in English and Krio. We teach communities that postpartum depression is real, common and treatable.
Visit the resource centre
“They told me it was just baby blues. But I could not get out of bed in the mornings.”
No mother should suffer in silence.
Postpartum depression is real, common and treatable. We walk with mothers across Sierra Leone through education, free support groups and trained health workers.
Our work so far
Since our first outreach in Kroo Bay
We publish the date behind every figure. If a number is not yet verified against our programme records, it does not appear here.
500+
Mothers supported
Programme records, as at 29 August 2026
250
Care packages distributed
Programme records, as at 29 August 2026
20
Health workers trained
Training register, as at 29 August 2026
5
Communities reached
Programme records, as at 29 August 2026
Who we are
In Sierra Leone, postpartum depression is often called just baby blues
Too many mothers are told to pray it away, or simply to be strong. Safe Mothers Initiative exists because that advice leaves women alone with a condition that is medical, common and treatable.
We started with one support group in Freetown. Today we reach mothers across five communities with education, peer support and training for health workers.
Because when a mother heals, a family heals.
Our mission
To improve maternal mental health through awareness, research, advocacy and support programmes that address postpartum depression and other maternal mental health challenges.
Our vision
A world where every mother receives the mental health support, care and protection necessary for a healthy family and society.
What we do
Four ways we support mothers
From awareness to healing, here is how SMI is changing maternal mental health in Sierra Leone.
Support groups
Free, confidential groups for mothers. In person in Freetown and on WhatsApp nationwide. Every first Saturday at the Freetown Community Centre.
Join a support groupTraining health workers
We train midwives, CHOs and nurses to screen for postpartum depression during antenatal and postnatal visits, and give clinics tools to refer mothers early.
Request training for your clinicAdvocacy and policy
We work with government and partners to include maternal mental health in national health policy, and amplify mothers' voices so decision makers listen.
Read our reports
Stories
Every story matters
I thought something was wrong with me as a mother. At the support group I heard four other women describe exactly what I was feeling. That was the first day I slept properly in months.
News and impact
What we have been doing
Kroo Bay community sensitisation
Door to door sensitisation and distribution of IEC materials across the Kroo Bay community.
Read moreScreening training for community health officers
Equipping health workers to identify postpartum depression during routine postnatal visits.
Read moreOur first year in numbers
What we set out to do, what we achieved, and what we learned we got wrong.
Read more
Support this work
This work is possible because of you
Whether you give, volunteer or partner with us, you are helping a mother find out that what she is feeling has a name and a way through.