Volz-Schmidt Rose
Organization: wellcome
Year Founded: 2002
Country: Germany
Website: www.wellcome-online.de
Video Supporting thousands of mothers in Germany who are coping with the challenges of a newborn and families on the edge. Focus: Children and Youth, Women Geographic Area of Impact: Germany Model: Leveraged Non-Profit Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 2,000 Families (2008) Annual Budget: US$ 600,000 (2009) Percentage Earned Revenue: 20% Recognition: Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Germany, 2007 Background Germany is facing declining birth rates as more women, particularly those with an academic background, decide not to have children. Still, around 700,000 children are born every year. Many mothers do not have their families close by and the stress of the first months with a newborn can lead to depression or violence. As society becomes more mobile, the family support needed in such circumstances is often not available. Innovation and Activities Wellcome provides fast and non-bureaucratic support for mothers overwhelmed by a newborn or with many children at home. The service is designed to reduce stressful situations and reduce violence against children as well as post-partum depressions. It recruits and trains volunteers, and works with a wide net of institutions and pediatricians. Mothers simply call and ask for support without providing medical or other explanations. Families are expected to pay a service charge of 4 euros per hour. This fee can be lowered or waived if necessary. Demand for the service primarily comes from families with twins or triplets, single mothers, families with three or more children, and families who have just moved to the respective town. About 25% of its beneficiaries are families in which the stressful situation of a newborn is compounded by an additional stress or crisis such as divorce. It is particularly in these circumstances where wellcome’s impact is the greatest. The organization has also piloted a support group targeted at Turkish minorities in Hamburg and has started a programme for families on the edge, where wellcome employees fulfill a wish on the first, second and third birthday of a child. This gives wellcome an opportunity to follow up with marginalized families. Headquartered in Hamburg, wellcome is organized as a social franchise, with almost 125 local teams; there are plans to expand to 500 by 2014 to cover all of Germany. The teams are largely independent of the headquarters, particularly in raising funds for their operations, but they operate under the same brand, receive central marketing and PR support and follow the same standards. Although still largely dependent on donations and government support, wellcome is developing partnerships with corporations. Parents pay a small fee to cover the variable expenses of the service. The Entrepreneur Rose Volz-Schmidt started wellcome after experiencing the difficulties of moving to a new city with a newborn child. She is a mother of three, including twins. Initially, her motivation was to fill the support gap for new mothers in parts of Hamburg, but she quickly realized that the need extended to all of Germany. Before starting wellcome, Volz-Schmidt worked in family education for many years. She studied social pedagogy and is a certified coach. Since 2009 she is the owner and manager of wellcome GmbH.
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