Celebrating mothers around the world

From overcrowded refugee settlements to remote rural villages, mothers are the heartbeat of their communities. While they are not alone in caring for their children, their strength, love and resilience play a vital role in holding families and communities together and building safer, stronger futures.

Devastating floods in South Sudan left mother-of-five Ayaan* and her family in a precarious situation. With their sorghum and peanut crops destroyed and limited access to food, her son Malual*, who was a year old at the time, started to show signs of severe acute malnutrition.

Ayaan took swift action. Despite feeling feverish and unwell herself, she carried Malual on her back and walked for two hours to reach a health centre in Aweil North, which is supported by Concern.

Malual is now 18 months old and improving daily. Ayaan, who has recovered from malaria, brings him to the clinic each week so he can be monitored by healthcare staff and receive a supply of therapeutic food. Her primary motivation for the long weekly journey is the health of her child.

Living in a coastal community in Bangladesh, mother-of-three Ruksana (28) and her family are heavily dependent on fishing for their livelihood. But cyclones pose a constant threat to their income.

When the fishing catch is small or non-existent, the family struggle to buy food and often go hungry. That lack of nutritious food led to her daughter, Salma, becoming malnourished.

Through one of Concern's partners working in Cox's Bazar, Ruksana was invited to join a programme offering a lifeline of nutrition skills training and livelihood opportunities. She learned about climate-resilient vegetable gardening, and now she applies innovative methods to grow nutritious organic food for her children to eat, nurturing their brighter futures with each harvest.

Mother-of ten Maria (36) lost everything she owned after her village in the Democratic Republic of Congo was attacked and destroyed in 2019. Her family were forced to relocate 30 kilometres away. They have since returned to their home village but have had to begin from scratch.

Because her family had been displaced, Maria was selected to be part of Concern’s livelihoods programme, and received peanuts, beans and maize seeds to plant - and eventually boost her harvests.

Maria is also part of a Concern-supported village savings and loan group that enables her to borrow money in emergencies. She also has access to literacy training and has received cash support to cover basic food costs while she attends the sessions.

Now, having identified a strong market opportunity for peanuts in the local area, Maria hopes to successfully maximise her yields to eventually break free from poverty.

Mother-of-three Prisca (35) is helping to provide valuable support to other mothers like herself in northern Burundi.

As a volunteer on a community project jointly run by Concern, Prisca visits 10 families three times a month, often with her seven-month-old son Bruno in her arms. She monitors children's nutrition, guides new mothers through the challenges of early parenthood, and shares practical tips on hygiene and healthy feeding. 

Her work helps build trust, improve health and drive lasting change in her community.

Prisca follows a structured programme to encourage mothers to follow best practice around breastfeeding, nutrition, food preparation and hygiene in the household. 

She has spent two years in the role after local women selected her to act as a representative. Determined to honour their trust, Prisca is proud of her work to support other mothers and bring about positive change to her community.

This Mother's Day, celebrate your mother figure with a gift with real meaning - one that helps mothers around the world build bright futures for their families.