Having given birth to her eldest with no family close by, Rotem Regev imagined that there must be other women in Vancouver who were lacking a support network during this time of transition.  She didn't want them to feel as alone as she previously did.

But what would she do? How would she reach these women? How would she even help them?

When Rotem shared her seed of an idea with Yael Myer, Yael shared that she previously co-founded a few social nonprofits, and hence, that she knows just how to do it.  

 

The first step was to include other women in this initiative.  To Rotem and Yael it was clear that Tamara Halamish and Yael Raz are the perfect team members: Tamara is a doula and an esteemed member of the community for her helpfulness, who later became the "face" of Mamatefet, and Yael Raz that  has great business experience,

 

And so, the four co-founding mamas met.  They met and they met and they met. On weekends and weeknights, for hours on end.  They thought about a target population, services required, and did a whole lot of research.  Rotem came up with the name Mamatefet. Mamas who embrace. They might have continued planning and developing an infrastructure until today, except, they were informed a pregnant woman in the community had given birth.  And so, they enlisted mama volunteers, and Mamatefet took off.

 

When it did, it spread like wildfire - the need was great.  The need to give, it sometimes seemed, was even greater. Before long, a Richmond branch had to be opened and the four looked for the perfect Head if Branch.   When they met Matti Feigelstock, they quickly realized that they needn't look any further! Not only did they find a Branch Head, Matti, had exceptional event planning skills and strategic planning experience thanks to her many years of experience as a community leader at Habayit, and quickly joined in as a director.  

 

In April 2018, Yael and Yael have decided to step down as directors, and they continued to contribute to Mamatefet as volunteers, and Mamatefet was incredibly lucky to welcome Lilach Golan.  Lilach had been a steadfast and active Mamatefet volunteer before stepping in as Director. With a background in school administration and post partum care, she brought with her the perfect balance of strategy, compassion, and community -orientation.  

 

In January 2019, inspired by the overwhelming success of Mamatefet, Rotem stepped down as President, in order to further her mission of creating communities.  She continues to be an advisor and volunteer.

 

Mamatefet continues to thrive today...