church magazine editors
mother's day
Ganu Maya, her son Surdip - and the ducks which help the family to make a living.
Mother’s Day this March reminds us of the importance of mothers - as carers, peace-makers, friends, teachers, providers and much more.
With all these roles – and no training - it’s little wonder that many mothers, whatever country they live in, can feel isolated, under pressure and worried about whether they are getting it right!
Ganu Maya takes her son, Surdip, to feed the ducks. It’s no trip to the local park; it’s part of her working day. She can spot her own ducks from dozens of seemingly identical birds, and is pleased to see that they are growing well.
Ducks’ eggs fetch a good price at the market in her small village, in the mountains of Nepal, helping her afford school books and uniform for her three sons.
Like many rural Nepalese women, Ganu Maya married young, unable to read or write, with little knowledge about how to look after children or how to manage the family budget.
She has been helped by joining a monthly parents’ group which meets to discuss ways to improve the village, to support the local school and to help poor families to access small amounts of credit. The group’s start up funds and training came from a local organisation, Kopila, backed by MRDF in the UK.
“Before I became a member of the group, I felt like an outsider in the community,” said Ganu Maya, “Now I can share and get support from the group and feel more confident.”
Taking out a loan of 1500 rupees (just £12) to buy her ducks came as a result of her increased confidence: “I talked with my husband about the loan and the ducks and we decided together to do it. It has been a significant change for me. Before being in the group my husband and I never discussed family issues or how to manage our household. Now we can discuss these issues. Now I am respected by him.”
Fewer than half of all Nepali children learn to read and write but, like every mother, Ganu Maya has hopes for her children’s success: “I hope that my children will be literate, so they can write to me if they are away, and so they can’t be cheated in their work.”
With the help of Kopila, and by working together with other mothers, she’s now in a strong position to turn those hopes into reality.
