Is MOMS a nonprofit? YES!
Do you need additional information about us?
Below, find our EIN, privacy and diversity policies,
contact information, etc. Enjoy!
Legal Status
MOMS is a nonprofit organization, under 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Our EIN is 93-1254632. You can link to the IRS site and enter the EIN.
MOMS also has current registration as a national, non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone. MOMS works with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
MOMS makes every effort to work legally in both countries.
Many wonder if MOMS is a religious organization. No. We have a mission, but we are neither religious nor military. Our mission is based on the notion that it is right and good to help, to share, to care. So we do.
We do not proselytize, evangelize, or imply any disrespect to anyone's spiritual path. Several board members are ordained, believing with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, that to a hungry person, food is good news. And, as St Francis is quoted, "Preach constantly, using words when necessary."
All board and staff value equity, which cannot exist without justice. For some people, this view arises from their religious beliefs. For others, this is a simple matter of ethics, not requiring any particular faith as a foundation.
DiversityMOMS does not discriminate on the basis of…
- Race, ethnicity, or nationality
- Marital or parenting status
- Gender, gender identity, gender role, or gender orientation
- Age (except volunteers to train in Sierra Leone must be at least 21 years old, for legal reasons)
- Religious preferences
- Veteran's status
- Economic status
- Abilities or challenges that do not affect the person's capacity to work. (In Sierra Leone, we cannot depend on electricity, medication, medical devices or equipment, or medical care to maintain health.)
We hope to at least maintain our level of diversity. We find ourselves enriched by our differences.
Privacy
MOMS respects your autonomy and privacy. When you give us information, we use it for the purpose you gave it. We do not give or sell it with others.
We use Buttondown for newsletters. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of the email. We use Little Green Light for our donor database, and they guard your information.
Many of you donate through Facebook, PayPal, or Zeffy. All have privacy policies. If you give anonymously, please keep your receipts safely, as we cannot send you information — we do not have it.
History
MOMS was founded in 1999 by a few midwives to help educate birth attendants in West Africa. They wanted to bring high-potential women from Senegal to the US to study midwifery. However, international relations are such that this wouldn't work. So, MOMS changed gears, to training US midwives in the hope they would go to developing nations.
In 2005, the Board of Directors re-evaluated the programs and goals, and decided to focus directly on providing education and service directly to West Africa. Ultimately the US programs closed, allowing MOMS to concentrate tightly on West Africa.
In 2006, we were invited to go to Sierra Leone. We conducted a needs assessment, and worked with local people and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to create and run a pilot, then make appropriate updates. We have made over 25 trips to Sierra Leone since then, and have built good relationships with national and district-level officials.
The communities choose women for us to train as MOMS Community Health Workers. The government-authorized certificate allows them to work anywhere in the country. Liberia and Guinea also recognize our certificates.
The MOMS CHWs provide evidence-based maternity care under the supervision of the local clinic. They also work as agents for change, identifying and solving problems.
Statistics show marked improvement in maternal and newborn death and harm where MOMS has taught. Compliance with government regulations is higher, as is cooperation between clinic staff and CHWs. One clinic leader, Veronica Foday, says, "When anyone asks me how our results improved so much, I tell them that MOMS CHWs make the difference!"
Contact information
MOMS was organized in the state of Oregon and operates from California.
You can write us at PO Box 1656, Gualala, CA. 95445.
Our phone is +1 707 884 3621.
Our website is www.MOMS-Midwives.org.
Our Facebook page is www.facebook.com/MOMSMidwives.
In Sierra Leone, our mailing address is PO Box 4, Bo Town, Sierra Leone.
Our phone is +232 79 42 11 70.
To email us, use the form on our Contact page.
