March 10 was Mother’s Day here in Britain, but in the Congo you could celebrate Mother’s Day every day – because mothers work so hard to keep their families together and to build peace. We would like to share with you one mother’s story from there, and how a small gift of £24 can help in a big way for families in the Congo.
Maliki is raising three daughters in a village in the forests of DR Congo. The area has suffered from civil war for many years. Her husband was once a fighter in the bush. Afterwards he couldn’t get work. And she was worried that poverty might lead him to join militias in the bush.
To keep her family together, Maliki started a small business from her home, making and selling palm oil to her neighbours. But it wasn’t easy. Then she heard about a project that we are funding – a loan scheme for the wives of ex-fighters. She borrowed £65 – a small sum to us, but a lifeline in Congo. She invested this in her business and it grew. Today she still works from home, but now she knows she can pay the rent, feed her family and pay for her children to go to school. Her husband delivers the oil, and together they dream of buying a piece of land to build their own home.
A gift of £10 could provide basic materials like a mortar and pestle for grinding and cheesecloths for straining the palm nut fruit.
A gift of £24 could pay for plastic drums, airtight containers and a wooden platform to store the palm oil properly and help preserve the oil for a longer period.
A gift of £65 could provide one small loan to help support vulnerable families like Maliki’s to start a small business.
For mothers like Maliki, this project offers a new future. But we can’t do it without your support. And there are many more mothers who need your help. Give a gift of £24 today and you will change lives.
Your support is making a real difference to people’s lives and building a more peaceful future around the world.
