Mothers' Day 2020

2020 has certainly been an interesting year so far – from bushfires and floods in Australia, to the global impact of COVID-19 and various strategies to prevent its spread. It seems there are challenges all around. 

But this Sunday we get a chance to pause, recognise and celebrate our mothers. The women who gave us life, a way of seeing the world and a set of values, who picked us up when we were physically and mentally down, encouraged us, who worked hard to ensure we have as vibrant a future as they could imagine, and who gave us many of our life skills.

I recognise that not all believe they can ascribe those characteristics to their mother – that the mother/child relationship is one of the most complex of relationships. And the relationship certainly changes over time. The team at Opportunity were encouraged to provide a photo and commentary about their mums and this was my musings:

“My Mum is now very frail, but I’m just so grateful for all the things she took specific time out to teach me in my younger years – from faith and loyalty, the importance of love, respect and marriage vows, how to give of ourselves to the community and those less fortunate, to the very practical (and domestic) of how to crochet, knit, sew and cook. She is an amazing “life” teacher! And whilst she is now physically frail and there’s not a lot of active teaching going on, her mind is still sharp most of the time, and I’m still able to learn about how to live graciously when life is slipping away. Thanks to my Mum and I only hope I’m half the teacher to my kids as she has been to me.”

My Mum would do so much for me and my three siblings, especially when we were young, but now frail and in a (locked down) nursing home, struggling with dementia, it feels the relationship has shifted significantly. But she is still my Mum. And I’ve been really blessed to be a mum myself.

Which made me reflect on the mothers I get to meet when I’m out in the field, seeing the work of Opportunity International, in creating small loans to those living in poverty and otherwise excluded from financial services. Across Asia we have 6.7M loans in place – and because of that focus on breaking down financial exclusion, around 95 per cent of the loans are to women, the vast majority of which are mothers. These are women who are happy to take a loan to build a small business to create an income to support their family in creating as vibrant a future as they can dream. There’s also an amazing 98 per cent repayment rate, so much is the dedication to repay the loan. 

But taking a loan, even before COVID-19 cropped up, usually meant that their lives were that much more complicated – on top of raising children, providing food, water and clothing in challenging circumstances, they would run their small business, usually from their homes. Businesses such as a milking cow, tailoring business, small shop or small manufacturing, takes time effort and clear thinking – not always possible when the kids are around! We may whinge about the impost of home schooling on the lives of parents when their children’s schools are closed, but that sort of juggle is the everyday experience of Opportunity’s clients!

And then there were the government countermeasures that were put in place—usually with very little notice—to address COVID-19. India was put into Level 4 lock down with four hours’ notice – that’s enough notice for the wealthy to run to the store and buy supplies, but for those living in poverty, there’s just no money to spend on stockpiling, so hunger became a constant. These little businesses—funded by Opportunity—were heavily restricted or essentially closed, creating even greater stress.

But one thing is certain – these women are resilient, energetic and won’t let a little government-imposed lock down get in their way of creating the best future they can for their children. Nothing will stop that. And just as well, as they are the grassroots economic engine that the economy needs to recover.

If you’ve got caught short for an amazing gift for your mother, help us help mothers living in poverty with a purchase from Gifts of Opportunity (and select e-card print at home) from https://gifts.opportunity.org.au/.