Active projects

Current initiatives led or supported by Birth Forward.

RespectMi

Toward a Migrant Inclusive Culture of Respectful Maternity Care.

Active PLATO-CY-B04 March 2026 – March 2027
Project page
Project overview

Birth Forward leads RespectMi, a national initiative advancing health equity and culturally responsive maternity care for migrant and refugee mothers in Cyprus. In collaboration with the Cyprus Refugee Council, the project works to identify barriers to care, strengthen women’s knowledge of their rights, and equip professionals with practical tools for respectful and inclusive support.

Project details
Project code
PLATO-CY-B04
Duration
12 months (March 2026 – March 2027)
Lead organisation
Birth Forward
Project partner
Cyprus Refugee Council
Geographical scope
Cyprus
Primary focus
Equity, rights, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness
Focus areas
  • Mapping barriers to maternity services and identifying unmet needs
  • Rights-based information for migrant and refugee mothers
  • Empowerment activities shaped by women’s lived experiences
  • Capacity-building tools for professionals and service providers
  • Advocacy for more culturally responsive maternity care
Project partners
  • Birth Forward — Project lead
  • Cyprus Refugee Council — Project partner

Mind the Mum

Placing perinatal mental health and care at the forefront.

Active 101161382 October 2024 – September 2027
Project page
Project overview

Mind the Mum is an EU-funded project improving Perinatal Mental Health by strengthening evidence, developing practical prevention and support tools, building alliances, and advancing systemic change. The project centres mothers’ experiences while connecting researchers, professionals, decision-makers, and parent advocates across Europe.

Project details
Project code
101161382
Duration
36 months (1 October 2024 – 30 September 2027)
Coordinator
Cyprus University of Technology
Programme
EU4Health — EU4H-2023-PJ-03
Type of action
EU4Health Project Grant
Granting authority
European Health and Digital Executive Agency
Focus areas
  • Nationwide Perinatal Mental Health research in Cyprus and Slovenia
  • Alliance-building between professionals, policy actors, and parents
  • Co-development and piloting of preventive interventions
  • Professional training, advocacy, and policy reform
  • Public awareness and destigmatisation of maternal mental health
Consortium partners
  • Cyprus University of Technology — Cyprus
  • Birth Forward — Cyprus
  • Institut Umbilica — Slovenia
  • University of Gdańsk — Poland
  • Instituto Europeo de Salud Mental Perinatal — Spain

ALTHEA

Connection, community, and healthier postpartum journeys.

Active EXCELLENCE/0524/0549 24 months · 2025–2027
Project page
Project overview

ALTHEA explores how social connectedness shapes postpartum health behaviours and supports the development of a participatory digital tool promoting healthier choices around breastfeeding, physical activity, and sustained smoking abstinence. The project combines research, co-creation, technical development, and public engagement.

Project details
Project code
EXCELLENCE/0524/0549
Duration
24 months (2025–2027)
Coordinator
Cyprus University of Technology
Project partners
3AHealth and Birth Forward
Funding
Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation — Excellence Hubs
Primary focus
Postpartum health behaviours and social connectedness
Focus areas
  • Social connectedness during the postpartum period
  • Breastfeeding, physical activity, and smoking abstinence
  • Mixed-methods behavioural and social-network research
  • Co-creation and piloting of a digital health tool
  • Dissemination, advocacy, and public engagement
Consortium partners
  • Cyprus University of Technology — Project coordinator
  • 3AHealth — Technical development
  • Birth Forward — Community engagement and dissemination

MOMental

Cross-Border Collaboration for Maternal Mental Health in Crisis Settings.

Active 2025-1-HR01-KA220-ADU-000358109 November 2025 – October 2027
Project page
Project overview

MOMental improves maternal mental health support in crisis settings by equipping mothers, peer educators, healthcare professionals, and NGOs with practical, evidence-based knowledge and tools. Through cross-border collaboration, the project develops sustainable support for pregnancy and early motherhood during displacement, instability, and other difficult circumstances.

Project details
Project code
2025-1-HR01-KA220-ADU-000358109
Duration
24 months (1 November 2025 – 31 October 2027)
Coordinator
Roditelji u Akciji (RODA)
Programme
Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership in Adult Education
Countries
Croatia, Czechia, Cyprus, and Ukraine
Associated partner
UNICEF Croatia
Key outputs
  • A structured, evidence-based maternal mental health learning guide
  • A comprehensive training programme for caregivers and peer educators
  • A multilingual Learning Hub for mothers and professionals
  • Webinars, e-learning courses, and self-assessment tools
  • Sustainable cross-border approaches for crisis settings
Consortium partners
  • Roditelji u Akciji (RODA) — Croatia · Coordinator
  • National Institute of Mental Health — Czechia
  • Birth Forward — Cyprus
  • NGO Ukrainian Midwives’ Union — Ukraine
  • UNICEF Croatia — Associated partner

Completed projects

Initiatives whose impact continues beyond their funding cycle.

RespectWATCH

A national monitoring and advocacy platform documenting violations in maternity care.

Sister platform Completed project
Visit sister platform → Project page →

RespectWATCH operates as Birth Forward’s sister platform, extending our advocacy and monitoring work beyond individual projects. It was created to systematically record, document, and monitor incidents of human rights violations in maternity care in Cyprus.

By centring the lived experiences of women and birthing people, RespectWATCH transforms individual testimonies into collective evidence. These narratives form the basis for public awareness, research, and policy advocacy, ensuring that lived experience informs systemic change.

The platform functions both as a public-facing awareness tool and as a structured, evidence-informed monitoring mechanism supporting accountability and reform.

RESPECT

Toward a culture of Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) in Cyprus.

Completed project Respectful Maternity Care
Project page →

The RESPECT project aimed to promote a culture of Respectful Maternity Care in Cyprus, grounded in international human rights standards and evidence-based practice.

The project aligned local advocacy with the WHO framework and the White Ribbon Alliance’s Charter of Rights for Respectful Maternity Care, translating global principles into locally relevant action.

Through education, awareness-raising, and collaboration with professionals and institutions, RESPECT contributed to shifting narratives around maternity care, dignity, autonomy, and informed choice.

RESPECTing Human Rights

Advocating for reproductive health and parental support in Cyprus.

Completed Advocacy Rights
Project page

Project Code: Place in CY07

The RESPECTing Human Rights project is a bicommunal initiative led by Birth Forward in partnership with the Association of Women to Support Living (KAYAD). Together, the two organisations — one based in the Republic of Cyprus and one in the areas not controlled by the Republic of Cyprus — work to advance reproductive health and parental support through a rights-based approach.

Our shared vision is to ensure that all women and birthing people in Cyprus have access to respectful, safe, and equitable healthcare services.

Key objectives
  • Advancing reproductive and maternity rights through evidence-based advocacy and policy recommendations
  • Promoting Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) and raising awareness of systemic barriers in sexual and maternal health services
  • Conducting stakeholder mapping to engage policymakers, healthcare providers, and gender equality bodies — including consultations with the Commissioner for Gender Equality
  • Building cross-community collaboration to promote gender-sensitive health strategies and long-term cooperation between organisations in both parts of Cyprus

By combining expertise, grassroots connections, and advocacy experience, the partnership works to enhance reproductive services, challenge inequalities, and empower women and parents across the island.

Baby Buddy Forward

A digital parenting platform adapted for Cyprus.

Completed project Digital education
Visit platform →

Baby Buddy Forward is an online educational platform offering structured, evidence-based information for parents across pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood, adapted to the Cypriot context.

The platform supports informed decision-making, emotional wellbeing, and realistic expectations, and continues to exist as a standalone resource beyond the project’s funding period.

Baby Buddy Communicators

Communication skills training for maternity professionals.

Archived project

The Baby Buddy Communicators project focused on strengthening communication skills of practising and in-training midwives through participatory, scenario-based learning.

Mothers with lived experience were central to the project, co-creating realistic training scenarios that reflected real needs, emotions, and expectations within maternity care.

Although concluded, the project’s methodology continues to inform Birth Forward’s approach to professional training and user-centred care.