Community 11: Shanghai Mamas | Melanie Ham

Few things are more frightening to migrants than giving birth outside of their home country. This is what led Melanie Ham and a few other mothers in Shanghai in the mid-2000s, to connect and build community. What began as a small clutch of expat women with babies and toddlers looking for companionship and reassurance, has exploded into Shanghai Mamas, a diverse city-wide organization with over 17,000 parents and multiple events per day. Their members connect online and offline for parent-to-parent recommendations, advice, and community-building activities such as educational talks, spa days, holiday parties, charity fundraisers, and family meet-ups, as well as their signature weekly "Parent Coffee Mornings." Many parents cite Shanghai Mamas as their key source to find their niche in the city, make lifelong friends, and manage the day to day confusion of living and parenting in Shanghai! To learn more about Shanghai Mamas visit them on the web at shanghaimamas.org. You can also follow them on social media here: Stay in touch and send us comments, suggestions or interview recommendations; we're on Instagram at @PopAbroad, or you can reach out by email: [email protected] Please take a moment to "Like" us and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podbean or wherever you get your podcasts... and subscribe! WeChat: "Shanghai Mamas Org"