Whatever corner of the globe you hail from, odds are your mother has played an incredibly important role in your life.
This Mother’s Day, we’re highlighting stories from around the world — along with right here at home — illustrating all that our mothers do for us.
For Atta Potir, a single mother of seven in Ghana, producing coconut oil is her livelihood. A trade she learned from her grandmother more than 35 years ago, it’s an industry rife with production challenges such as the cost and availability of coconuts.
Being the sole breadwinner can’t be easy, but through World Vision, Potir was able to secure a group loan in order to buy coconuts and have extra stock to last through the dry season.
As a result, her oil production is on the rise and, to her delight, she’s been able to give her eldest children the gift of education.
“I can now send my children to private school and university,” she says.
“These women embody the very definition of strength and courage,” says Pieter Van der Meer, Regional Program Manager, Middle East and Eastern Europe, West Africa. “We are privileged to work with them.”
Over in Laos, Mrs. Kham had to deal with the pain of one miscarriage and the death of two of her babies within days of being born. To make matters worse, there were no health services in her village to offer her the support she so desperately needed.
But with funding from World Vision and the local government, health workers received training and clinics have become more accessible by offering drop-in times for pregnant women and mothers.
Kham didn’t give up and now has three healthy children. To ensure she has the tools to succeed, she is a part of the Model Mothers program, where female volunteers receive training in basic healthcare, hygiene, nutrition, pre-natal and post-natal care.
These volunteer women are able to help other women in their community with basic health care knowledge.” says Julie LeJeune, Regional Lead for East Asia.
At home in Canada, the blessing of mothers are everywhere — from the working mom who is always there for soccer practice to the stay-at-home mom who does it all.
For Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, the value of making her mom, Therese, proud was paramount.
When her mother suffered a fatal heart attack just days before the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Rochette opted to stay in the competition to skate in her memory. Despite the crushing loss, she stayed focused and landed a bronze medal.
After the Olympics, Rochette continued to honour her mother by helping to design a heart-shaped pendant of which proceeds were donated to the “iheartmom” initiative at the University of Ottawa Health Institute.
For Canadian singer and songwriter Sarah McLachlan, a mother of two, she’s decided to give back by starting a music program for at-risk and underserved youth in Vancouver.
Offered at no cost for students in Grades 4 though 12, the Canadian artist wants to keep music programs available to all.
“I realized that music programs were some of the first things to be cut from regular school curricula, and the thought that there were youth who might not experience the joy of learning music seemed unacceptable to me,” McLachlan told BCBusiness.
This Mother’s Day, whether your mom is near or far, remember to say thanks for all the love and opportunities she’s given you.
To learn more about World Vision’s work and how you can get involved, click here.