Our mission
To reduce barriers to maternal and postpartum support by listening to communities, providing essential supplies, and building partnerships that respond to families' needs.
About us
Who we are
Safe Embrace is a student-led maternal health initiative. We work to reduce the practical barriers families face before, during, and after birth.
Our story
Why we started
Safe Embrace began in Uganda as a delivery-kit initiative, getting sterile supplies to mothers in rural communities so they could give birth in clean, safe conditions. Our founder, Isabella Parry, saw first-hand how much practical, community-based support matters around birth, and brought that idea home to a team of university students in Canada.
In Canada, most families can give birth in a hospital, but many go home with little support for the weeks that follow. That's especially true for low-income, Indigenous, single-parent, and rural families. So in 2026 we set out to adapt Safe Embrace to that gap. We met with nurses and hospital staff, surveyed mothers and community organizations about what they actually need, and applied for grants to fund postpartum care kits.
Since then, we've sent kits to Grassy Narrows First Nation and to families supported by Birthright Brampton and Vita Centre in Mississauga. Today we run two separate programs, postpartum support in Canada and clinical delivery kits in Uganda, each shaped by its own local context.
Our vision
A Canada where every family, regardless of income, geography, or family structure, can access safe, respectful, and timely postpartum support.
What guides us
Our values
Dignity
Families are the experts on their own lives. We offer support with respect, never judgment.
Listening first
Mothers, midwives, and community partners shape what we do and how we do it.
Health equity
We focus on families facing financial, geographic, and systemic barriers to care.
Cultural humility
We learn from the communities we work with and respect their knowledge and traditions.
Accountability
We are honest about what we do, what we don't do, and where we are as an organization.
Practical action
We focus on tangible support that makes a real difference in a family's day.
Our team
The people behind the kits
We’re a volunteer team of students who pack, deliver, and fundraise for every kit, with guidance from mentors in maternal and global health.
Isabella Parry
Founder
Jen Jang
President
John Wang
Chief Financial Officer
Abi Mathi
Director of Communications
Akshaya Anpu
Director of Marketing
Dua Fayaz
Director of Community Programs
Priya Chera
Director of Outreach & Partnerships
Where we are today
Honest about our stage
Safe Embrace is a developing, student-led initiative. We are not a healthcare provider or a registered charity. We have secured more than $20,000 in grant funding to support our programs, and we're growing carefully, one partnership at a time.
See our kits