From Honduras to Bangladesh, we’re wishing a happy Mother’s Day to all kinds of moms around the world.
Mothers of children near or far
… like Glenda Garcia in Honduras. After her husband died, Glenda has had to work long hours to provide for her two sons, Selvin and Lester. Sometimes she goes days without seeing them, so the time they have together is special.
Mothers working hard to do it on their own
… like Bekelech Mulissa in Ethiopia. After being forced to leave school to get married, Bekelech’s husband left her. She desperately needed a job to support her six children, and she was chosen to receive training from World Vision to make small, smoke-free stoves.
Now, she and two other women sell 100 stoves per year for about $7 a stove — enough for Bekelech to put her children through school and attend college.
Mothers old
… like Kapona Das in Bangladesh. A mother of four, Kapona, 40, cuddles with her youngest son, who is just over a year old.
And mothers young
… like this 18-year-old mom in Honduras. Her baby is 7 days old. In western Honduras, teen pregnancy is one of the biggest challenges World Vision is tackling. In 2014, of the 190 pregnancies in the area, 170 were girls under the age of 17. World Vision is training health educators to combat this crisis among young women and men.
Mothers of multiples
… like Felistus Moono in Zambia. The 28-year-old mom had a tough pregnancy and gave birth by candlelight to twins Stenley and Steven. “I was not prepared for two children,” says Felistus. “I only had clothes for one.” The clinic where she deliverd the babies has no electricity and only one delivery bed, which was still covered with blood from the previous patient.
After that, her husband uses his spare time to make bricks to build a new clinic in their village — so other expecting mothers won’t have the same experience.
Mothers new
… like Sreynin Phoeun in Cambodia. Because of a World Vision health and nutrition program in her area, she had access to knowledgable staff at the local health center during her pregnancy. They advised her to eat fruits and vegetables and to come for regular appointments leading up to and after the birth. She even made an appointment to bring her 32-day-old son to get vaccinated.
Mothers by choice
… like Shamu in India. She adopted her nephew, 9-year-old Badal, and is raising him as her own. Badal has special needs, and “I try my best to provide a normal environment where he can grow,” she says. Because he is sponsored, Badal is able to attend World Vision’s center for children with special needs, where he’s made friends and developed new skills.
Mothers as friends
… like Dolgosuren (left) and her daughter, Dulamsuren (right), in Mongolia. Along with Dulamsuren’s grandmother, Surenkhorloo (center), they spend the day together doing chores and making milk products to eat and sell.
Mothers of boys
… like Mwanjama Mhina in Tanzania. Her three sons — left to right, Raphael, 14; Izat, 10; and Mangare, 13 — clearly adore their mom, who is a leader in their community. Mwanjama was chosen to lead the area’s commercial village group, which oversees local farming cooperatives. She completed leadership training from World Vision and is now in a position she never would have imagined.
Mothers, finally, after years of hurt
… like Vanny Paeng in Cambodia. Before she had 6-month-old Ichin, Vanny, 32, had seven miscarriages While pregnant with Ichin, she took care to place as little strain on her body as possible and avoided labor-intensive chores. World Vision-trained village health workers also checked up on Vanny, giving advice on how to have a healthy pregnancy.
Mothers who have lost
… like Munang’andu Chilobe in Zambia. In 2005, her 5-year-old son, Wise, drowned while fetching water from a nearby water hole. She has five other children, but Munang’andu still mourns Wise. “We lost the joy that we had in our family,” she says.
Mothers who love against all odds
… like Kiran in India. Kiran is 26 and pregnant for the 12th time. Married as a young teenager, her first child was born when Kiran was 15. She has five living children — including 2-year-old Arun — and has suffered many miscarriages. Kiran lives in an area where birth control is taboo, and with each pregnancy, her health deteriorates more; with each new child, the family sinks deeper into poverty.
Pregnant mothers who are nearly there
… like Ayuno Josephine in Uganda. With an under-5 mortality rate of 69 for every 1,000 births, child and maternal health is a priority for World Vision in Uganda. Expecting mothers in many communities don’t live close to a health center or hospital, making prenatal care difficult.
Mothers winning the battle against malnutrition — together
… like Sonia in Bangladesh. Her daughter, Anika, is malnourished, so Sonia has been attending a World Vision program with other women to learn how to prepare nutritious food for their children. Now, the mothers meet to cook and eat together, forming friendships while improving their kids’ health.
