A Journey Through Motherhood*: With Afloat By Your Side
Since 2020, Afloat e.V., as a non-profit organisation, has been dedicated to supporting immigrant mothers* and parents across Germany.
What started as a handful of online gatherings has now expanded into a rich network of donation-based peer-led support groups serving parents at every stage of their parenting journey. Today, we host multiple groups each month, both online and in person, covering diverse needs: pregnancy, postpartum, parenting toddlers, navigating neurodivergence, and even the emotional rollercoaster of peri / menopause.
The Heart of Our Mission
At Afloat e.V., we know that motherhood* and fatherhood* in a new country can bring unique challenges. Many immigrant mothers* navigate cultural and linguistic barriers, isolation, identity shifts, and mental health struggles like PMADs, Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, often without the safety net of extended family or familiar support systems.
Our mission is simple but powerful:
To remove barriers to mental health care in Germany
To create safe, inclusive spaces where immigrant parents can share and connect
To provide peer-led support that values every story, every background, every identity
By growing the number and types of our support groups, we’re making sure no immigrant mother* or father* in Germany has to walk this journey alone.
How Our Groups Reflect Our Values
Every Afloat support group is designed to reflect our core values:
Inclusivity: Welcoming parents across all gender identities, family structures, and cultural backgrounds.
Empathy: Recognizing the emotional complexity of parenting, especially when layered with migration and cultural transitions.
Community-led care: Offering peer support, not clinical services, because we believe in the power of shared experience.
Why It Matters for Mental Health
Research shows that connection is one of the most powerful protective factors for mental health, and this is especially true for mothers* and immigrant families navigating so many changes.
Our expanding network of groups ensures that parents have access to:
Regular, reliable support
Culturally sensitive conversations
A nonjudgmental space to process challenges and celebrate small wins
For many participants, joining an Afloat group has been a lifeline during difficult times offering reassurance that they are seen, heard, and not alone.
How to Navigate Our Support Groups
Here’s how you can navigate our different group offers, depending on where you are right now:
Pregnancy & Preparing for Birth
If you’re pregnant, you can join our Pregnancy Support Group, a space to explore the emotional ups and downs, shifting identities, relationships, and expectations. This isn’t a childbirth education course; it’s a place to share and connect emotionally, with others who truly understand.
Newborn Phase: Intensive Support
After birth, many parents face a wave of emotions, exhaustion, and adjustment. Our 6-Week Intensive Online Group for Moms* of Newborns up to school age is a closed group (same people, every week) designed to offer you focused, continuous support through this tender phase, addressing everything from postpartum mood shifts to navigating your new family dynamics.
Ongoing Parenting Support
As your baby grows, your needs shift but the need for connection remains. That’s why we offer:
Monthly Drop-In Groups : Come when you need, no long-term commitment, to talk about anything that’s on your heart.
Resourceful Parenting: Parents of all age children who are looking to reduce their feelings of stress and overwhelm, because mental health needs don’t stop when diapers do!
Peri/Menopause & Older Kids
Motherhood* doesn’t end when your kids get older. Many mothers* in their 40s or 50s are juggling older kids, aging parents, and their own changing bodies. Our Peri/Menopause Support Group offers a space to process the emotional, psychological, and physical changes of this phase, surrounded by others who understand.
Finding the Right Fit: Specificity & Community
We know that your identity and background matter. That’s why we offer groups tailored for:
In-person connections (in Heidelberg, Berlin, and more) for those who prefer to meet face-to-face.
Whether you need a general space or something more specific to your lived experience, Afloat has a group designed with you in mind.
How to Choose the Right Support Group for You
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
Where are you on your parenting journey? (Pregnancy? Newborn? Older kids?)
What kind of support do you need? (Intensive weekly space? Casual drop-in? Identity-specific group?)
Do you prefer online or in-person? (Check our locations and schedules.)
Remember: you are welcome to move between groups as your needs evolve. Many of our participants stay with us over several years, through many chapters of their parenting and mental health journeys.
Why It Matters
Our work is grounded in supporting mothers* and parents* navigating mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), identity shifts, and emotional struggles — especially within the added complexity of immigrant life. At Afloat, you are never just a participant; you are part of a community that sees you, values you, and walks alongside you.
👉 Join Us Today
Ready to explore our groups?
✨ Check out our Current Groups and Join a Community
✨Reach out with questions: hello@afloatgermany.org
✨ Follow us for updates: on Instagram @afloatgermany Facebook @afloatgermany or LinkedIn @afloat-ev
We can’t wait to welcome you, wherever you are on your motherhood* and mental health journey.
The Afloat Team
Disclaimer: Please note that these groups are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. We are a peer to peer support group non-profit organisation and a hub to connect you with health care professionals and other service providers around pregnancy and motherhood*. We do not handle psychiatric emergencies.