Home visiting to improve maternal and child health

Philani Mentor Mothers is a home visiting programme, designed for the South African context, which addresses the health problems faced by vulnerable mothers and their children during the first years of life.

The programme trains community health workers, known as Mentor Mothers, to support mothers to implement recommendations received at clinics in the home.

This article describes the programme, its goals, and the results of the Philani+ randomised control trial implemented in 24 neighbourhoods in Cape Town.

Written by Mark Tomlinson, Stellenbosch University; Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Global Center for Children and Families and the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior; and Ingrid le Roux, Philani Nutrition Centres. Published by Ilifa in 2015.