Our impact · June 2024 – June 2026

Together, every mother & family thrives.

1,098 attendances by mothers. One community. Zero cost to access.

Since formally opening as a registered charity in June 2024, Motherhood Village has supported mothers and parents on the Gold Coast through free, in-person peer support groups — made possible by the generosity of philanthropic foundations, government commissions, corporate sponsors, and individual donors who believe no mother should face this alone.

1 in 5
Australian mothers affected by perinatal mental health challenges
7+
specialist peer support groups running every fortnight
$0
cost to every mother who walks through our door
2 yrs
as a registered DGR1 Health Promotion Charity
Our programs

Specialist support
for every experience.

Every group is led by a trained Peer Leader with specialist perinatal mental health peer support training and their own lived experience, supported by our Resident Grandma volunteers who care for babies so mothers can be fully present.

General Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support
Our flagship group for mothers experiencing perinatal anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and related challenges throughout pregnancy and early motherhood.
Village Art for Perinatal Mental Health
Creative peer support integrating therapeutic art practice with peer connection — a gentle, expressive pathway to recovery.
Neurodiverse Mothers Peer Support
Specialist support for mothers with ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, or other neurodiversity — led by a Peer Leader with relevant lived experience.
CALD & Multicultural Mothers Peer Support
Culturally sensitive peer support for mothers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, acknowledging the specific challenges of mothering across cultures.
Medical & Health Professionals Peer Support
A confidential peer support space for health professionals navigating perinatal mental health challenges — understanding the unique pressures of mothering in a clinical career.
Grief & Loss Peer Support
Co-facilitated with Red Nose Australia. A safe, structured space for mothers navigating perinatal loss, pregnancy after loss, and grief in the early parenting years.
Recovery Peer Support
For mothers recovering following acute perinatal mental health experiences, including those transitioning from hospital and specialist care — designed to sit alongside ongoing clinical support.

We also provide care navigation — connecting mothers into the right clinical and specialist services, and supporting their return to community from clinical care. All programs are free and available from pregnancy through to five years postpartum.

Recognised within the health system
"Motherhood Village is an important partner within the regional mental health landscape, and its continued development will strengthen outcomes for mothers, families and the broader community."Gold Coast Health — Letter of support
Earlier intervention
Helping mothers access support sooner, before reaching crisis point.
Improved engagement with care
Supporting mothers to stay connected to treatment and the services they need.
Stronger recovery pathways
Bridging the gap between acute or specialist care and community-based recovery.
Reduced social isolation
Building genuine connection at one of the most isolating times in a mother's life.
Greater community participation
Helping mothers re-engage with community life as part of their recovery.
Workforce development
A placement provider for lived experience peer workers, growing Queensland's mental health workforce.
What 1,098 attendances really mean
1,098
moments of isolation reduced — each one a mother who no longer had to face the perinatal period alone.
1,098
moments a mother felt heard, valued and understood — in a culture that too often tells her she should just be happy.
1,098
moments a mother realised she was not alone — sitting in a room with other women who had been exactly where she was.
1,098
moments families gained stronger support around them — because when a mother heals, her whole family feels it.
The mothers behind the number

Real experiences.
Real recovery.

These stories are real. Names and details have been de-identified with full informed consent to protect privacy while honouring the truth of each experience.

Postnatal depression · Care navigation · Suicidal ideation
Courtney & Oliver

Three months postpartum, alone on the Gold Coast, experiencing severe depression and thoughts that frightened her. She found us at 3am. The next morning, she walked through our door. Over six months, her bond with Oliver strengthened. Her home became calmer and safer.

"Walking into that room was the hardest and the best thing I've ever done."
Acute perinatal mental illness · Post-discharge recovery · Cultural isolation
Rebecca

From Colombia, admitted to the Lavender Mother & Baby Unit. When she was discharged, she could barely leave the house. Her clinical team referred her to us. Slowly, she left the house. Made friendships. Became more present with her baby.

"They already understood. I felt less alone in my experience."
Neurodiversity · Sensory overwhelm · Emotional burnout
Tegan & Tommy

A neurodiverse mother of three, exhausted in ways those around her rarely understood. Inside our Neurodiverse Mothers group, for the first time since becoming a mother, she felt genuinely understood. Her overwhelm reduced. Her home became more settled.

"Attending the peer support groups have been life saving for me."
Our partners

Trusted by those who
trust their patients to us.

We work alongside hospitals, health networks, and community organisations who recognise community peer support as the vital piece of the perinatal recovery puzzle — sitting alongside, not replacing, clinical care.

  • Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service
  • Gold Coast University Hospital
  • Lavender Mother & Baby Unit
  • Perinatal Mental Health Team (GCUH)
  • Gold Coast Private Hospital Maternity
  • John Flynn Private Hospital Maternity
  • Pindara Private Hospital Maternity
  • Grace Private
  • Midwifery Group Practice
  • Child and Family Health Services
  • Gold Coast Primary Health Network
  • Therapy Co
  • Red Nose Australia
  • ForWhen Australia
  • PANDA
  • Baby Give Back
  • Petals Perinatal Psychology
  • Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast
  • Waijungbah Jarjums
  • Her Medical
  • Medical on Robina
  • The Feel Good Psychologist
  • Diamond Women
  • The Benevolent Society
  • Empowher Women's Health
  • Eden Women's Health

We also work with general practitioners, psychologists and allied health providers across South East Queensland and Northern NSW.

Recognised in the Queensland Parliament · Queensland Mental Health Awards finalist · Programs aligned with COPE, PANDA, and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance

How this is made possible

Funded by people
who believe in this work.

Motherhood Village does not receive ongoing government funding. Every program, every trained Peer Leader, and every free session is made possible through a combination of philanthropic investment, commissioned partnerships, corporate sponsorship, and the individual generosity of donors, mothers, and families who have experienced or witnessed the difference this community makes.

Foundational Philanthropic & Grant Funding
  • The James Frizelle Foundation
  • Australia Post
  • City of Gold Coast
Commissioned Funding
  • Gold Coast Primary Health Network
Community, Corporate & Network Support
  • The Lottery Office
  • Bendigo Bank
  • Sanctuary Early Learning Adventures
  • Gold Coast Titans
  • Quest Robina
  • Quota Gold Coast
  • Surfers Paradise Rotary
  • Bond University Women's Network
  • Noah's Fundraiser
  • Individual donors, mothers & families

Behind every one of those 1,098 attendances by mothers is a donor, a sponsor, a grant-maker, or a community member who said yes. This is what collective generosity looks like.