Charity's new way for mums to connect

Tasmanian-based national charity Motherland has launched an Australian-first health platform for rural mothers—Motherland Connect.

Motherland is a national charity that supports rural mothers across Australia and has now branched out and created the online health platform.

Motherland connect was designed to provide rural mothers with a one stop, digital resource hub that connects them to the services they need to support their mental and physical health.

The platform went live on Monday and aims to tackle a significant issue in rural Australia, connecting women to the services they need, with the click of a button. 

Over 70 per cent of rural mothers told Motherland through a recent survey that they have put off seeking healthcare because they have been unable to access or find the service they need.

Motherland founder and CEO Stephanie Trethewey said that Motherland’s mission is to reduce isolation for rural mothers and improve mental health outcomes. 

“The fact that 30 per cent told us they don't have access to mental health services in their nearest town shows the dire need for the Motherland Connect platform,” she said.

“Mums are the backbone of our rural communities, and our charity will continue to advocate for them and offer support to them and their families in any way we can.” 

Recently, Motherland did a survey of rural mums across Australia and found that over 60 per cent of rural mums turn to Google to find services when they can’t find them locally.

The new platform organises support into the one platform where women can search by their location or post code, and be connected to physical services, or telehealth support across a range of categories. 

More than 100 organisations are already listed on the platform across a number of categories including mental health, relationships, pregnancy and birth support, matrescence, allied health, fitness, nutrition, parenting support and more. 

Rural mother of three Rachel Jaeschke lives on the east coast of Tasmania and said she struggled to find services for her and her family due to long wait lists or non-existent services on the East Coast of Tasmania. 

She said she is excited for Tassie's rural mothers to have access to the new Motherland service.

“Motherland Connect will be the perfect curated place for mothers to access and discover relevant information to complement their mothering journey tailored to the unique perspective of raising children and being a mother in a rural area.”

Motherland is now calling on Tasmanian businesses to list their services on the platform. 

Organisations can register for membership here.