Introduction
In this story of change, we talked with Rommy Ríos, manager of the Baltazar y Nicolás Foundation, and Mardyori Curi, coordinator of the SAME Mental Health Program. For 15 years, the Foundation has been working in Peru strengthening the affective bond and secure attachment between children and their families. Faced with the severe emotional crisis evidenced during the pandemic, the institution designed the SAME Program, a preventive initiative that since 2021 has accompanied mothers and female caregivers to transform emotional exhaustion into spaces of support and empathy.
Key points
- The genesis of the SAME Program: the alarming findings in 2019 from the ECIC-19 survey on the impact of COVID on the lives of children and their families, which motivated a different approach to family mental health.
- The methodological model: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), experiential group work, and close digital accompaniment.
- The alliance with the National Cuna Más Program (MIDIS): articulation with territorial public services without generating parallel systems.
- Results and stories of relief: reduction of stress, psychological flexibility, and the step towards parenting from tenderness.
Access the full interview and conversation.
Context and challenges
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baltazar y Nicolás Foundation, in alliance with the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and the Copera Infancia Association, promoted the continuous survey of COVID impact (ECIC-19) to understand the concerns of families regarding the care and attention of children. The results revealed a critical reality: more than 80% of mothers, fathers, and caregivers presented high levels of stress and anxiety, accompanied by a marked increase in perceived loneliness during child-rearing. The survey showed that in Peru, when adult mental health is at risk, inconsistent practices and violent discipline methods increase: approximately 45% of caregivers resort to shouting and 20% to physical or psychological punishment.
The SAME Program model: Healing in community and with warmth
Faced with this need, the SAME Mental Health Program was born in 2021 with the purpose of placing the caregiver at the center of attention. The program is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a clinical approach aimed at developing psychological flexibility. Instead of fighting against emotions such as frustration or overload, SAME prepares mothers to embrace the present moment and make decisions guided by their own values.
The methodology unfolds through small virtual groups of 10 to 15 participants, accompanied by volunteer psychologists. Throughout 10 weekly sessions of 90 minutes, mothers participate in experiential workshops that break isolation and dismantle maternal guilt. The accompaniment is accessibly complemented through WhatsApp, with playful infographics, reflections, and individualized follow-up calls. Furthermore, caregivers learn the “A.M.A.R.” technique, a practical tool to take a conscious pause, self-regulate, and provide emotional support during moments of overload.
“Our mothers and caregivers in general heal in community […] The simple fact that they listen to each other and say ‘Hey, what happens to you also happens to me, right? This happens to me too.’ Really for them internally, in the internal world that they are living, it breaks the stigma and also in turn creates a beautiful sense of belonging, doesn’t it?” explains Mardyori Curi.
Main changes and transformations in families
The program’s impact evaluations reflect profound changes in family well-being. In the most recent reports of the intervention, nearly 90% of the participants reduced or maintained their stress and anxiety levels, while 60% strengthened their personal stress-coping capacities. In the joint work with the National Cuna Más Program in Arequipa, approximately 83% of the caregivers developed greater psychological flexibility, that is, the capacity for self-regulation.
On a day-to-day basis, these advances transform what the team calls the “emotional climate” of the home, substituting impulsive reactions with pauses, hugs, and play spaces.
“A mother’s mental health is like the emotional climate within the home. If a mother lives under a constant storm […] it is very difficult to prevent this climate from directly affecting upbringing, bonding, and interactions,” highlights Mardyori Curi.
Behind the figures are stories of profound personal healing. Ana María, a participant in the 2021 pilot, shared upon concluding her workshops: “I realized that motherhood is not perfect and I felt enormous relief seeing that I was not alone”. Another mother in Arequipa related how the program taught her to look at herself with compassion and understand that she had to care for herself first in order to properly support her son.
“Nothing that is proposed thinking of the child is going to work if we do not have adults who are not only sensitive, but also welcomed, understood, and listened to, precisely to make that burden not so heavy,” affirms Rommy Ríos.
Scaling up, public alliance, and looking towards the future
From its conception, the Baltazar y Nicolás Foundation decided not to create a parallel system, but rather to join forces with the existing public network. Therefore, it articulated an alliance with the National Cuna Más Program of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), demonstrating in a pilot in Arequipa and Cusco that caring for the mental health of mothers directly improves interactions with children. Thanks to these results, the project won the first social innovation window of MIDIS to expand its reach within the state program.
The proposal also stands out for its high cost-effectiveness and scalability, combining virtuality with a highly loyal, zero-turnover psychology volunteer model. In parallel, as a result of the advocacy work that the Foundation promotes through the ECIC results and its mental health intervention, the Ministry of Education has been persuaded to include psychologists in school health teams who can help mothers, fathers, and caregivers with key parenting guidance. The future vision contemplates gradually scaling the SAME methodology, making it available to those operating in early childhood so that it complements services linked to early childhood care.
The Foundation’s dream and aspiration is to achieve the institutionalization of the SAME model within the State’s cost and policy structure. By positioning the caregiver’s emotional well-being as an indispensable axis of Early Childhood Development (ECD), the institution reaffirms that caring for those who care is a basic condition to guarantee that every child grows up in a safe, warm environment free from violence.
Related Links
- Click here to learn more about the Baltazar and Nicolás Foundation
- Click here to learn more about the SAME Program
- View the results of the ECIC and ECIC-19 surveys