Meet the Team

Vongayi is a former banking professional with a degree in banking and finance. She was previously supported by Amma during a complicated pregnancy in 2020.

She is the Secretary for Information and Publicity of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe and is involved in campaigns to end human rights violations and violence against women and girls in her home country of Zimbabwe.

As the Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager, Vongayi plays a vital role in leading Amma’s advocacy work and driving community engagement initiatives. She leads and manages our Experts by Experience group and also advocates for policy changes and improved services by developing strategies, coordinating research, collaborating with stakeholders, and participating in community events.

Kate began her journey with Amma as a volunteer postnatal companion before becoming a Perinatal Team Leader. Kate has an extensive employment history in Women’s health, neonatal nursing & the homelessness sector in Melbourne, Australia, supporting newly arrived refugee and asylum seeking families. After moving to Scotland she worked as a nanny, providing family support. With her Special Care Nursing experience Kate has expertise in the postnatal period, caring for premature babies, twins, breastfeeding education, and support & memory making during infant loss. Kate is passionate about pregnancy and birth, maternal well being, access to care, advocacy and support for marginalised people.

Karen joined Team Amma from the British Red Cross Refugee Service, where she built up expertise in providing advice, support, and advocacy to people in crisis as a result of their migration status.

Karen has a wealth of understanding of the asylum process and the barriers faced by people within it. She has worked with a wide range of vulnerable groups and believes that people have a right to safety, security and to realise their potential no matter who they are and where they come from.

As Amma’s Referrals Manager, Karen is responsible for our clients’ journey through our support provision, from initial referral to pairing with a team of volunteers, attending antenatal class, gathering feedback and completing a final evaluation as our support period ends.

Amanda brings over a decade of experience in the third sector to her role as Head of Advocacy & Communications.

Originally from Canada, Amanda has worked for several charitable organisations in both the UK and abroad. She joined the Amma staff team in 2020, having volunteered as a birth companion before then.

Amanda leads Amma’s efforts to create systemic change through strategic communications, research, and advocacy. She manages all marketing and communications activities and oversees our volunteer recruitment and training programme.

Morag initially joined Amma in 2021 as a volunteer birth companion before becoming a Perinatal Team Leader in 2022. Upon her return from maternity leave in 2025, Morag entered into a new role as Officer and Governance Manager.

Morag is responsible for ensuring Amma’s governance, finance, and administrative functions operate smoothly and efficiently by maintaining legal and regulatory compliance, supporting the Board, and managing key office operations.

In her spare time, Morag is training as a Community Leader for Singing Mamas and loves to listen to live music, cook tasty vegan food, and spend a lot of time with her friends and family.

Beti first became involved in Amma as a birth companion, later training to provide postnatal support. Her background is in community art and activism. Beti uses textile and fibre arts to explore the subversive power of traditionally feminised craft practices, and she has experience in facilitating art workshops with diverse groups including people with additional support needs and survivors of trauma.

As an activist and organiser, Beti has been involved in movements for reproductive justice, the safety and labour rights of people working in the sex industry and disability rights. Beti is also interested in therapeutic gardening and folk herbalism and hopes to bring these interests into her role with Amma to support the wellbeing of the members of the Amma Family Programme.

Helen initially joined Amma as a volunteer birth companion and quickly became an integral part of the team. Her strong management skills and experience as a birth companion led to Helen becoming our Perinatal Services Manager. In this role Helen provides guidance and support to our Perinatal Team Leaders and our huge team of volunteer birth and postnatal companions in the day-to-day provision of service to clients.

Before joining Amma, Helen was a business owner for 13 years, prior to which, she had a career in the retail, banking, and finance sectors. Helen contributes extensive experience in training and staff development, as well as valuable expertise in GDPR and compliance issues.

Abigail has extensive experience in the third sector. She previously worked for ChildLine and spent twelve years at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, where she was part of the management team.

Abigail has years of experience in corporate events and fundraising and brings strong project and people management skills to the Amma team. As Amma’s Head of Partnerships and Fundraising, she is responsible for raising all the funds needed to keep the charity and service running.

A mum of two, she is a qualified hypnobirthing practitioner and a birth and postnatal doula.

For more than a decade, Sarah has worked to support vulnerable people in the asylum process and those with insecure immigration status. In 2019, she co-founded Amma Birth Companions.

As Head of Services, Sarah oversees all aspects of our service delivery, including companionship, antenatal classes and peer support.

​Sarah also leads our monitoring and evaluation activities, helping to ensure Amma is achieving its mission and outcomes.