Sweet Peanuts

Purpose

To Enable Supportive Conversations with Bereaved Parents through Education

Vision

Bereaved women and couples are strongly supported by those around them including; healthcare professionals, friends, and family. We want to help others break the stigma of miscarriage and encourage conversations about loss and grief. 

Mission

To educate friends and family to support bereaved parents that have experienced a miscarriage or pregnancy loss. By purchasing a Care Package as a tool of support, it helps fund packages that are donated to those in need of Care, Comfort, and Compassion through our partnered hospitals and clinics. This creates a sustainable cycle of support for bereaved parents across Australia.

As a Social Enterprise, we highly regard working towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), these also form the foundation of our values.

3. Good Health and Well-Being

We promote good health and well-being throughout our purpose and mission within Sweet Peanuts to provide the most amount of care and support for bereaved parents as possible. We also provide a source of relief for the healthcare professional by connecting their patients to bereavement counselling specific to miscarriage and filling one of the many gaps in support.

5. Gender Equality & 10. Reduced Inequalities

We support all parents from any cultural or religious background, orientation, or identification. We understand that miscarriage does not discriminate and there are many different scenarios relating to the loss of a baby. We want to ensure you that your feelings and emotions are valid and you have every right to grieve during a time of loss. We are an inclusive enterprise and will endeavour to provide extra levels of care for anyone who may need it.

12. Responsible Consumption and Production

Sweet Peanuts is a responsible enterprise and we value using products that are both ethical and sustainable in their product and usability. This is why we have sourced our package items from small and local Australian businesses that share these values also. You can read more about our suppliers Here

Sweet Peanuts is dedicated to upholding these values to the highest integrity. We are committed to growing and developing into a national organisation that not only advocates for other social enterprises and supporting local Australian businesses, but also the importance of providing support for parent/s that experience a loss.

Theory of Change

If bereaved parents that have experienced a miscarriage receive meaningful support from their friends and family, they are likely to feel more cared for with compassionate conversations about grief and therefore will feel less isolated, reducing the feelings of depression and anxiety.

A study by the University of Melbourne found that the offer of support itself, accepted or not by the bereaved parent, may alleviate some of the pain and distress caused by miscarriage.

Miscarriage and Pregnancy loss is still seen by some in the community as a subject not to be discussed openly, this is the stigma that exists.

Because it exists, it means that a large number of bereaved parents do not receive the care and support that they desperately need during their time of loss.

Studies show that even the offer of support, even if it's not accepted, may alleviate the pain and distress cause by miscarriage.

As an organisation providing education and support through our Care Packages, we want to help break the stigma of miscarriage so that bereaved parents are better supported by the healthcare system, their friends, and family.

This is one question we get asked frequently, why aren't we a Charity?

When Barbara, our founder, was establishing Sweet Peanuts as an organisation, she had no background or prior knowledge of establishing an organisation from the beginning. What she was certain of, is that she wanted it to be non-profit and that the Care Packages would be donated to hospitals and clinics.

In 2021, she became involved in the Accelerator for Enterprising Women and explained what issues she was experiencing trying to start a Not-for-profit organisation (NFP). Some of these issues involved; being a sole trader, proof of concept, raising funds, and a lack of a governing board. One of the mentors suggested to start Sweet Peanuts as a Social Enterprise and it can still develop into a registered NFP with the Australian Charities and Non-profits Commission (ACNC) in the future. This is what allowed Barbara to overcome some of the initial challenges of not being able to grow or provide a proof of concept.

Being a Social Enterprise not only allows us to donate the packages like Barbara had intended, it also allows us to create a positive social impact on those providing the support to parents through education. Social Enterprises don't rely on fundraising or donations to achieve their mission, it is instead achieved through trade and sales of services, products, and goods.

From the sale of Care Packages we are able to fund packages that are donated to partnered healthcare providers, which are then passed on to bereaved women and couples. Proceeds from sales are used to both fund donated packages and further develop the organisation.

To read more about being a Social Enterprise and what this means, click Here