HOW EMPOWERED MOTHERS HELP THEIR CHILDREN STAY IN SCHOOL

Extreme poverty affects families in so many ways – particularly mothers and their children.  Here’s the story of Srimoti.

Srimoti lived in a rural area of Bangladesh where her husband worked for a landowner in his fields tending his crops.  This type of work doesn’t pay much – hardly enough to meet all of the needs of a family.  Srimoti knew that some families had to force their daughters into an arranged marriage at too young of an age simply to remove the financial burden of caring for one more person.  She did not want to face this same reality with her daughter, Kumari, some day.  Kumari was just 6.

The culture in Bangladesh has kept women out of the workforce – women simply didn’t work.  That has been changing over the years as Bangladesh has become the #2 exporter of textiles in the world.  Many women are employed in the cities in the garment industry.  But rural areas don’t offer these same opportunities.

Srimoti wanted to work.  She dreamed of it.  She wanted to earn enough to provide opportunities for their children – at the very least, she knew education was key and she wanted them to be able to go to school.

When a social worker from our team in Bangladesh came to her hut one day to tell her of a new primary school forming in their village, she had a glimmer of hope.  “Yes”, she exclaimed, “I want my daughter to attend!”

One of the first things we do when forming a new school in Bangladesh is to form a mother’s group to help the teacher prepare food each day for the students.  Parent engagement is critical to the success of children in school – regardless of where you live.  Srimoti was anxious to get involved.

Through the mother’s group, Srimoti learned about how some of the other mothers were able to earn income through various means.  She talked to our social worker about it and he was ready to help.  They discussed her interests and skills.  The social worker found that Srimoti had learned to sew a bit from one of the other mothers.  And she loved it!

Thanks to our generous donors, a sewing machine was given to Srimoti along with enough fabric to get her started in the tailoring business in her village.  Today, she no longer worries about having to arrange marriage for Kumari when she is too young.  Kumari is in school and Srimoti is saving money for her future education. 

Srimoti is empowered.

PSDI’s holistic model of poverty eradication works.  It is truly transformational for the families whose lives we touch.  The majority of families we serve lift themselves out of extreme poverty in this same way – by empowering mothers.  It matters.

We are only limited in the number of families we can serve by the resources we have.  Won’t you help us empower more women and lift more families out of extreme poverty?