Our Mission

Afloat e.V. is a non-profit organisation which provides support to immigrant mothers* across Germany — from pregnancy through every stage of parenthood.

Our mission is to remove the linguistic, cultural, and societal barriers to finding quality mental health care and to provide immigrant mothers* and fathers* with the support system they deserve.

Our services are funded by donations and open to anyone who considers themselves a mother*, father* or primary carer, regardless of gender identity or family structure. The gender asterisk * acknowledges that there is a wide range of gender identities beyond the binary.

Our Services

Afloat is a non-profit organisation based in Heidelberg that provides both in-person and virtual, volunteer-led support groups to immigrant mothers* and fathers* across Germany, mainly funded by donations.

We at Afloat recognise that not only will 1 in 7 mothers* experience a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), but also that immigrant mothers* suffer more frequently from PMADs. In response, we serve as an international coordinator for Postpartum Support International, providing information about PMADs so that immigrant parents across Germany experiencing any adverse symptoms can connect to the resources they need.  

Afloat would like to thank the Regionale Fördergemeinschaft Rhein-Neckar-Odenwald, Techniker Krankenkasse (federführend), AOK Baden-Württemberg, vdek Die Ersatzkasse, BKK Landesverband Süd, ikk classic, KNAPPSC, the SVLFG Landwirtschaftliche Krankenkasse, and Stadtteilkasse Friedrichshain West for their generous support of Afloat’s peer support groups.

Our Story

Our story began with Andrea Waisgluss, one mom* who decided other immigrant moms’* perinatal experience in Germany had to be better than hers. This desire materialised in 2020 as a social initiative offering English and Spanish-speaking support groups to mothers* across Germany. Afloat was officially founded as a gemeinnütziger Verein in 2021.