Each day here, we witness the immense strength children
exude.
Although ever-present, we rarely comment on the figures of
profound strength standing behind these little ones.
Mothers.
Grandmothers.
The bo’me who look after the safe-home babies each day.
It is with deep conviction and courage that these women care
for the children in their lives.
Like mothers around the world, these women invest more of
themselves in the children they love than can be comprehended and expressed in words.
The strength of women in this country…the women who love and
care for the children of Lesotho…is something to be recognized.
With the impending arrival of Mother’s Day (in the US and Canada, at
least), I think it is only fair that we acknowledge this important pillar in the
work we do.
Without these women…without their strength, courage, and
love, Touching Tiny Lives could not do what we do.
Retselisitsoe and his grandmother. |
Reflecting on motherhood in a country like Lesotho brings up
a myriad of subjects: maternal mortality, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition,
the orphan crisis.
The intricacies of these issues certainly cannot be dissected
in one short blog post, but the mere mention may serve to illuminate the
challenges women and mothers face here.
Grandmothers find the strength and resolve to parent infants
and toddlers upon the devastating loss of their own children to AIDS.
Mothers cradle newborns on their backs while threshing the wheat
needed to keep their family alive.
Young sisters shoulder the responsibility of motherhood when
they are the last in their family with the strength to do so.
Each day, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and sisters stand
strong and carry on with the duties of motherhood…pushing these seemingly
insurmountable hurdles aside…raising beautiful, strong African children.
And for that we say thank you and happy Mother's Day!
And for that we say thank you and happy Mother's Day!
Ntsoareleng and Me' Mamosa, the safe-home coordinator. |
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