Johanna's journey: mother of two and volunteer

Johanna's journey:mother of two and volunteer at Parent Action

I’m a trained teacher from Ecuador, but I had to leave my country when it was no longer safe for us to stay. I arrived in the UK without speaking a word of English, with a small child and a three-month-old baby in my arms.We were living in a tiny, confined space, and looking back now, I can say I was experiencing postnatal depression. But at the time, I didn’t have the words for it — I only knew that I didn’t want to live. I felt like my life had no meaning.Then, one day, a health visitor — who felt like an angel to me — came to see us and handed me a flyer for Espacio Mamá. It spoke of a place for mothers, in my language, where I might find connection and community. I went, and from that moment, my life began to take a turn I never could have imagined.I discovered the power of community and the healing that comes from being seen and supported by other mothers. I began learning English, slowly started to come out of my isolation, and felt my depression begin to lift. The Parent Action team were always there — welcoming, present, and offering tools I didn’t even realise I needed to face life’s challenges.

I arrived carrying silence, exhaustion, and uncertainty — and found, in a MumSpace, a sense of belonging and the first steps toward healing.

Three years later, I am proud to stand as a Parent Action volunteer. I no longer feel like a victim of my circumstances.

Through this journey, I’ve grown in empathy, in confidence, and in the quiet strength that comes from being truly seen and supported. Today, I can walk alongside other migrant mothers who are navigating similar paths; not to fix or advise, but to say: you’re not alone.

I’ve discovered that I am capable of so much more than I ever believed, and, more importantly, that I want to do more. To support. To listen. To uplift. The sense of belonging I’ve found here, and the doors it has opened for my growth and wellbeing, are truly priceless.

My life has been transformed; not by grand gestures, but by consistent care, language that welcomed me, and spaces where I could breathe again. Now, with deep gratitude, I give back. I offer other migrant parents what was once offered to me: community, dignity, and the chance to begin again.

This story is a powerful example of the life-changing impact that volunteering — and simply showing up — can have through Parent Action’s MumSpace groups. For many migrant mothers facing isolation, mental health challenges, or simply the weight of starting over, MumSpace offers more than a meeting or a playgroup: it offers connection, empathy, and a path back to themselves.

This journey reminds us that community care can restore purpose, resilience, and hope. In these warm, multilingual, and welcoming spaces, mothers not only find support: they begin to believe in themselves again. And for those who return as volunteers, like in this case, the experience becomes a full circle of healing and empowerment.

It’s a testament to the power of safe, inclusive spaces where no one has to face the journey of motherhood — or migration — alone.

Reflections on Johanna's volunteering experience:

Johanna’s journey reminds us that volunteering isn’t just an act of service; it can be a doorway to rebuilding a life with meaning, dignity, and connection. What began as a search for support during a time of deep isolation gradually became a path toward confidence, purpose, and community leadership. Through MumSpace, Johanna was first held, with empathy, patience, and care, and then empowered to hold space for others.

In stepping forward as a volunteer, she began to reimagine her own possibilities. Her story shows how, when mothers are given a safe place to be seen and grow, they not only heal; they rise, and they lift others with them.

Through Volunteering, Johanna not only showing up in service to other mothers but also empowering herself, demonstrating the long-lasting benefits of community-driven support.