Nurturing the Nurturers: The Crucial Role of Mothers’ Mental Wellness in Tanzania

Child raising requires strength, resilience, and boundless love from mothers the world over. For mothers living in rural Tanzania, unique challenges make mental wellness not just important, but essential. Read on to learn why Global Volunteers prioritizes mothers’ mental health in our host communities of the Ukwega Ward.

---

In giving birth to and raising society’s children, mothers play concurrent roles as nurturers, protectors, teachers, healers, counselors, spiritual guides and much more over the course of their children’s lives. Each role is vital to shaping their future in different ways.  So, their own mental, emotional and physical health is paramount – especially during the highly demanding phase of early childhood.  Moreover, mental health conditions often interfere with essential self-care behaviors during pregnancy and postpartum, including obtaining adequate nutrition, sleep, and medical care.

Achieving overall mental wellness is much broader than narrowly treating disorders. Global Volunteers works to encourage holistic care throughout a mother’s life, striving to provide psychological support throughout pregnancy, immediately after childbirth, and through the critical early years of a child’s development.  By recognizing mental wellness as an indispensable and pivotal component of women’s total healthcare, we can both support the well-being of pregnant women and give the next generation their best possible start—beginning before they even take their first breath.

A Call to Spotlight Mothers’ Pivotal Role

A child’s future begins in the womb.  International research shows that a mother’s mental health profoundly impacts a child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development.​ As with physical health, poor maternal mental health is linked to increased child illnesses and frequent medical visits, which ultimately lead to delayed physical and cognitive growth, and often, lower educational attainment.

Dr. Petro Lusasi, Global Volunteer’s Tanzanian collaborator and psychiatrist at Ilula Lutheran Hospital, notes that in Tanzania, because many clinics are under-resourced, psychosocial and mental health needs are frequently not addressed.

“But, we know that women who experience depression during pregnancy have poorer clinical outcomes and a variety of other health conditions, including preeclampsia, a preterm delivery, and low-birth-weight infants.  They’re also more likely to have depression-related disability in the postpartum period,” he asserts.   

That’s why early intervention is critical, Dr. Lusasi continues. “The impact of depression after the birth of the child has been well studied, although factors associated with depression during pregnancy have received less attention, which misses a key opportunity for targeting interventions.” 

Dr. Lusasi points to research that reports impacts on:

• Brain development: Chronic stress in pregnancy increases cortisol levels, which can affect fetal brain growth—particularly in areas responsible for emotional regulation and cognitive function. Studies show that a mother’s mental health directly impacts a child’s early problem-solving and learning capabilities. Children raised by emotionally stable mothers tend to be more confident and adaptable as a result of optimal brain development.

• Birth outcomes: High stress, untreated depression and anxiety, and substance abuse is linked to preterm birth, low birth weight, and complications during delivery, all of which increase the risk of the child’s developmental delays. A mother’s stress or addiction often leads to poor self-care, including nutrition, sleep, hygiene, exercise, relaxation, and leads to lower immunity to disease for herself and her child . Stress on the developing immune system of the fetus is shown to make the child more vulnerable to illness in infancy and years beyond.
• Emotional regulation: Children are highly sensitive to their mother’s emotional state.  Children of highly stressed mothers are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues during childhood. When a mother’s mental well-being is strong, she can respond calmly to challenges, demonstrate patience, and make sound decisions regarding discipline, education, and overall caregiving. She and her child are better able to bond – essential for developing a healthy attachment style, behavioral predictability, empathy, and social skills.​

Holding the Hand that Rocks the Cradle

Ultimately, the foundation for a healthy society is built by healthy mothers. Worldwide, up to 20 percent of women experience mental distress during pregnancy or in the first year after birth.  Global Volunteers believes that improving maternal mental health — especially in developing countries like Tanzania — is fundamental for resilient families and thriving communities. Leaders of five rural villages in the Ukwega Ward where volunteers serve, have declared their vision of a higher level of mental wellness for every child and adult.

Through the Reaching Children’s Potential (RCP) Mental Wellness Initiative, Global Volunteers works hand-in-hand with local people to raise mental health awareness broadly in homes, schools, clinics, and faith communities. RCP Caregivers talk openly with mothers at home visits about mental and emotional stressors, and screen for depression, anxiety, gender-based violence, alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation and related conditions. Healthcare staff integrate mental health into primary and maternal care. Secondary and primary school administrators assess opportunities to introduce mental health education into the standard curricula.  Pastors preach mental wellness at Sunday Services and invite congregations into dialogues on compromises to that goal.

The Mental Wellness Initiative takes a community awareness approach to strengthen the support network around each family. In this way, broad community investments in maternal mental health can help break the cycle of neglect, trauma, and poverty passed from one generation to the next. Our mental health partnership identifies six distinct areas for community support:

1. Reducing Stigma and Isolation:
   Normalizing discussions of mental health issues reduces stigma. A mother struggling with postpartum depression, anxiety, or chronic stress is more likely to seek help if she feels supported rather than judged. Without stigma, mothers can talk openly about their struggles and find relief and solutions early — preventing these issues from negatively affecting their parenting and their children’s emotional environment.
2. Encouraging Early Intervention:
   A community that understands mental health promotes early detection and intervention. When neighbors, teachers, healthcare providers, and family members are educated about signs of mental distress, they can encourage a mother to seek support before problems escalate. This helps mothers maintain emotional balance, which is crucial for providing consistent care and modeling healthy emotional regulation for their children.
3. Building Strong Support Networks:
   Mothers do not raise children in isolation — they rely on family, friends, schools, and community services. Awareness about mental wellness fosters stronger, empathetic support systems. Community programs like parent groups, mental health providers, and peer counseling can provide emotional, social, and even financial support, buffering the everyday stresses of parenting.
4. Modeling Healthy Coping Strategies:
   When a community values mental well-being, it normalizes self-care, therapy, communication skills, and stress management. Mothers who internalize these values can model them for their children. Kids raised in such environments are more likely to develop resilience, emotional intelligence, and problem-solving skills — key traits of well-adjusted individuals.
5. Preventing Intergenerational Trauma:
   Mental health challenges left unaddressed can pass from one generation to the next through patterns of behavior, communication, and emotional dysregulation. A community that confronts violence and abuse can help mothers heal from their own past traumas, breaking cycles that might otherwise negatively affect their children’s emotional development.
6. Enhancing Access to Resources:
   Communities that prioritize mental health tend to invest in resources such as counseling, parenting workshops, crisis responses, and public education campaigns. Global Volunteers strives to provide access to all these resources. When mothers are provided these tools, they can better manage the challenges of parenting, leading to healthier family dynamics and better-adjusted children.

Mental wellness now is a proud goal for community leaders and village families alike in the Ukwega Ward!  We invite you to share your strength, compassion, and knowledge to help them achieve their vision.

Learn about the origins of the Mental Wellness Initiative Here:

Mental Health Needs Assessment Points Way for Village Families in Tanzania