Give the gift of a better world this Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate the wonderful women in our lives who love and care for us unconditionally. Women who bring us hope, joy and meaning. Women who comfort us when we’re sad and know just the thing to make us laugh. Women who walked before us to give us a better life.
This Mother’s Day, consider giving another woman a better life. As we celebrate and honor the women who made an impact on us, we can partner with Women for Women International to make an impact on the world.
About Women for Women International
Since 1993, Women for Women International (WfWI) has served more than 479,000 women survivors of war in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan and Kurdistan Region of Iraq. WfWI envisions long-term sustainable change and development through the education and empowerment of the most marginalized and socially excluded women.
In a recent blog post, I mentioned that WfWI offers a comprehensive 12-month education program where women learn about their rights as women, issues that impact their health, and business skills to improve their lives and break free from trauma and poverty. Through this program, WfWI builds networks, including financial services and advanced vocational trainings, to increase the women’s ability to earn, save, and access capital for their businesses.
Mother’s Day Gift Campaign
Every year, Women for Women International runs a campaign where people can purchase unique and meaningful gifts for women participating in the WfWI empowerment programs, in honor of the important women in their lives. These symbolic gifts represent real items that the women in the programs use to improve their families, communities and countries. These are gifts for the mom who wants to make the world a better place for women.
How your gift helps
This campaign is not limited to mothers; think about the women who’ve made an impact in your life. Teachers, mentors, friends, coworkers. You can honor a woman by contributing to a cause she cares about:
Does she spend hours in her garden? You can give vegetable seeds ($20), a gardening basket ($100) or a greenhouse ($5,000). Sustainable farming is a way to help women become self-sufficient and even learn to make a profit. WfWI provides tools and techniques to maximize farming production to help women get started in growing their future.
Is she an animal lover? You can give baby chicks ($40-80), a cow ($100) or a collection of farm animals ($10,000). In war-torn countries, cows and goats are often raised for milk or cheese, and chickens for eggs, to be sold at market. An animal can change many lives by giving a woman an income that she will reinvest in caring for her family.
Is she a teacher or educator? You can give school supplies ($10), numeracy training ($25) or literacy training ($50). Education and literacy open the doors to improved business skills, which helps women start a new life after war.
Is she passionate about her career? You can give a knitting basket ($50), a sewing machine ($75), or a beekeeper basket ($250). These small gifts empower women with the skills needed to start a business. Products from baked goods to blankets can be sold at market, and women can pass down these skills and knowledge to their children to continue a positive cycle.
Is she a health advocate? You can give life-sustaining gifts including family & reproductive services ($35), doctor visits ($45) and safe drinking water ($100). Many women in marginalized nations don’t have access to health services, but you can change that with your gift. When women are educated about health issues, they can prevent disease and make smarter choices about their family.
Here’s how it works:
Browse through the catalog and select a gift that represents a woman you want to honor.
Select a card. Each gift comes with a beautiful card you can personalize. It will be sent to your honoree on Mother’s Day. You can choose from an e-card, downloadable card or mailed card.
Your donation goes to work immediately to help women survivors of war rebuild their lives and communities.
The Takeaway
Flowers wilt and cards fade, but the gift of improving humanity lasts forever. Giving symbolic gifts through an organization like Women for Women International improves the lives of countless women and communities. Marginalized women use these important gifts to provide food, prevent disease and create income for their families.
Honor a woman who made a difference in your life by making a difference around the world. Give today.
Photo credit: Monilekan/Women for Women International