Founded in 2001, the organisation currently works in over 400 sites in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa and employs over 1000 women living with HIV.

[3] In January 2000 Besser moved to Cape Town, South Africa as a member of the University of Cape Town's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and as a consultant for the clinical roll-out of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services at Groote Schuur Hospital.

[4] While working at Groote Schuur, Besser realised that even when PMTCT medical treatment was available, it was often less than effective because of social, emotional and psychological barriers to success.

[5] To help break through those barriers, Besser identified South Africa's HIV-positive mothers as a "valuable, under-utilized resource.

At least one source claims that in 2010, mothers2mothers enrolled approximately 300,000 unique HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers into its program.