Philani is a community-based child health and nutrition organisation operating in the township and squatter communities of Cape Town, South Africa where poverty, unemployment and violence are dominant. Established in 1980 on the initiative of the women health-workers in Crossroads, it is an independent non-profit making organisation. The Philani Nutrition Project is committed to the protection of the rights of every child to proper nutrition and healthcare in communities where malnourished children and destitute mothers are the most vulnerable.

The Philani Mothers formed a choir in 1986 and have recorded a collection of songs with health and nutrition messages written and sung in Xhosa that was originally released in 1998 on cassette entitled ‘The Philani Mothers Lyrical Health Messages’. The purpose was to spread the Philani message within the community and it’s just one of the many projects initiated by the group to assist the women and children of the townships.

The originals of each of these 10 songs have been reworked for this album. The aim is to generate awareness for the organisation and the problems townships in South Africa face, as well as to raise funds to enable Philani to continue its work and improve health awareness within the community.

The Mothers is an album of exciting musical collaborations extolling the values of care and welfare developed by Peter Raeburn, a London-based producer. He called on the talents of a particular selection of musicians who created their own productions.

The essence of Philani is communication; communication between their centres and their communities and now communication between ‘The Mothers’ and its audience. These mixes assimilate natural voices and urban production creating a cross-cultural fusion of music, education and awareness and a fresh take on the oral tradition.

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