While motherhood is one of the most beautiful phases some women go through in their lives, it’s not an easy undertaking. In order to navigate the privilege of being a parent and raising a well-balanced family, there is a crucial need for a support system. This is what Cloudhoods, a UAE-based app that was Co-Founded by two expat mums, Nancy Najm and Lara Hamdan Abouchacra, provides. The app works around a balanced approach, assisting mums mentally, physically and emotionally by offering experience and guidance through its wellness experts and contributors.
“The key is having the wisdom, self-awareness, sense of values, and relationship with your child to know when you can bend and when you need to hold the line," Cloudhoods contributor and mental health counsellor, Chasity O Connell, says.
The app helps women navigate their motherhood journey in a judgment-free space, allowing them to share their experience with local experts or seek advice from other mums going through a similar phase. Cloudhoods also offers direct access to experts who thrive in making positive changes in the lives of the community. Since they specialise in various fields, from fitness, psychology to business, and more, this allows any member to receive guidance whether it is on home-schooling, sickness, isolation, post-partum or any other topic providing the necessary emotional and mental support. Additionally, Cloudhoods encourages small business owners to share their entrepreneurial journeys with the community to help grow the brands and generate exposure. With a mission to aid start-ups especially those founded by mothers, the app provides several tips and advice around technical know-how and necessary marketing tools.
Having a group of fellow mothers around you, who are experiencing or have gone through similar stages, creates an opportunity to form friendships, find support, celebrate those exiting moments of parenthood and get through those stressful ones, together. In the UAE alone, Cloudhoods has a network of 10,000 super mums that can connect based on their interests, kid’s age, and neighbourhoods. Whether it is to organise a playdate, grab a coffee or privately discuss an issue that’s bothering you, Cloudhoods mums are an incredible support system.
Najm and Abouchacra admitted to feeling lonely after accepting their new status as mums. Wanting to beat new-parent isolation, they reached out for support online only to find that it was somewhat complicated to find relevant local information or like-minded mums. After they established Cloudhoods, it quickly evolved to become the go-to parenting app in the region, with access to around 25,000 mums. Cloudhoods’ reach spans the UAE, Lebanon and Egypt and will be expanding further in the coming months.
