This Mother’s Day, Opportunity International celebrates moms around the world, especially our clients who work hard, most under challenging circumstances, to provide for their families. In this blog, we consider just a few of the reasons why moms are so special, as illustrated in the stories that follow.

Feel free to add your own stories of special moms in the comment section below. You can also honor Mom or a special woman in your life – and help another mother in the developing world – by contributing a patch on the Global Opportunity Quilt. There’s still time to do this before Mother’s Day. It’s easy, it’s only $25, and it’s a gift that makes a difference. Visit OptINnow.org/Mothers to begin.

 

Meli travels ten hours roundtrip every day to maintain her business in Malawi.	1. Moms go the distance to care for us. Meli’s husband passed away five years ago, leaving her three young children without a home or income. She joined an Opportunity International Trust Group and used her first loan to purchase a large sturdy basket, a roundtrip bus pass to Lake Malawi, and her first ten dozen fish. On Monday mornings, Meli boards a rickety bus for the 10-hour round trip to buy the fish. She has generated enough income to build a home of concrete blocks, with a substantial roof and electricity. She plans to get another loan to buy a refrigerator so she can store more fish – and send her kids to college. She says, “Now I have hope.”
Rebeca works hard and dreams of a better life for her children in Colombia.	2. Moms dream of better lives for their children. Rebeca Carvajal of Barranquilla, Colombia, makes her living by selling fish. Because of her status as a woman living in poverty, she was unable to improve her business until Opportunity came into the picture. With a loan and business training, Rebeca has been able to expand her fish and rice shop, and buy a car to transport her goods to the market instead of paying someone to do it. She has opened her own savings account and provides healthier meals and books for her children. She dreams of opening a restaurant so she can earn the money necessary to send her kids to college someday.
Anitha gains personal strength from her Trust Group in Rwanda.	3. Moms support each other. Anitha, the mother of five young children, took out a loan of $50 from Opportunity Rwanda to open a modest street stall in a prime location. With her profits and her current loan of $270, she was able to expand her produce to include maize, sorghum and groundnuts. Anitha greatly appreciates the friendship and community that comes with being part of her Abizeranya Trust Group. She says, “Joining the group helped me come out of my isolation. I learned that I had to pick myself up and continue on with my life–for my children’s sake, but also for my own. I love being part of this courageous group of women. As Rwandans, we’ve all been through different experiences, but together we face the same challenges. We’re all women and we’re all struggling to provide an income for our families. It’s reassuring to know that we’re facing the future together.”
Adelia is a leader in her Trust Group and her community in Honduras.	4. Moms are leaders in their communities. Adelia Aranda received her first loan from Opportunity Honduras in 2003 and eventually served as president of her Trust Group. She is admired and respected by the people of her village and by the women in her Trust Group who look to her for leadership and guidance. Adelia is very proud of her village and the home that she has made for her family, complete with an herb garden in the front. She gives credit to God for enabling her to increase the profits from her candy making business, raise her children and provide for their college education.
The two Isidoras-mother and daughter-are excellent craftspeople living in Mexico.	5. Moms mentor their daughters so they grow up to be good moms. In Michoacan, Mexico, two Isidoras—mother and daughter—are known for their excellent craftsmanship. The mother Isidora has five other daughters who live in her small home and help her make crafts. Her eldest daughter, Isidora, lives nearby with her husband who runs a small grocery store from their home. In the hopes of turning their small craft shop into a sustainable business, both women approached Opportunity in the fall of 2007 to receive loans and business training. With their first loans of $316 and $271, they were able to invest in materials to sew aprons and linens, and make rosaries for the community’s annual month-long festival. As successful artisans and businesswomen, they are now strategizing to expand and diversify their businesses. Both mother and daughter have opened savings accounts and purchased life insurance with Opportunity to protect their families.

 

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Do you have a story to tell of a remarkable mom? We hope you will share it in the comment below or on the Global Opportunity Quilt. Virtual patches, available for only $25, feature tributes to special women who have made or are making a difference in our lives. Purchase yours today at OptINow.org/Mothers.

Read more blog posts celebrating some of our own mothers and all mothers on Mother’s Day.