Circle of Held

Imagine giving birth in a new country — even with people around you, even having chosen this life with love. And still, missing something that has no easy name: the friends who knew you before. The ones who don't need context to understand you. The ones who look at you and already know.

That is the reality of many Spanish-speaking immigrant mothers in New Orleans. It isn't always a visible loneliness. But it weighs.

"I didn't arrive alone. I had support. And still, there was something no plan prepared me for: the absence of the eyes that recognize you. The friends who know where you come from, who don't need context to understand you. In motherhood, that absence weighs in a way that isn't always easy to explain."— Founder of Circle of Held, psychologist, immigrant, mom

Circle of Held was born from that experience — and to respond to it.

The name comes from a simple belief: that every mother deserves to be held — emotionally, communally, culturally — especially when she is far from home.

What We Do

Through our program Círculo de Resiliencia Materna, we bring together groups of up to 8 mothers for a four-week experience designed specifically for them: in their language, from their culture, without judgment.

Each 90-minute weekly session offers practical tools for managing stress, space to share what often can't be said at home, and the opportunity to build real connections with other women who understand what it means to be a mother far from everything familiar.

The program includes on-site childcare — because we know a mother cannot be fully present if she has no one to care for her baby.

This is a preventive model: we don't wait for mothers to be in crisis. We arrive before that, when support can make the greatest difference.

Why Now?

Our first pilot cohort launches this summer of 2026. Mothers are already waiting. GiveNOLA Day is our opportunity to make this possible.

Our goal is to fund 6 pilot cohorts in this first year — reaching between 36 and 48 mothers — and build the evidence that will allow us to grow sustainably.

Every dollar raised on GiveNOLA Day goes directly to funding these cohorts.

Your Donation in Action

Supporting Circle of Held means helping create what many mothers lack but deeply need: a place to be held, heard, and accompanied — so that no mother has to navigate this stage alone.

Circle of Held operates under the fiscal sponsorship of ECCO NOLA, ensuring your donation is tax-deductible and securely processed.