By Erin Hegarty | Director
Greetings from Perth, Australia, where we're having an unusually cold and rainy month.
I'm thrilled to let you know that since starting this fundraiser on GlobalGiving, we have opened Strong Mamas - a group for mothers of children with special needs. The group germinated from conversations with local people suggesting local responses.
I was chatting with one of our beneficiaries when I was in Kenya about a year ago, and she expressed her loneliness and ostracisation from society owing to mothering a child with a disability. Unsurprisingly, this feeling was felt by another mama too.
Realising they couldn't be the only mothers experiencing this, the three of us decided to call all our contacts who had children with disabilities. We requested their presence the following Sunday at Noonkopir Township Primary School, where we would discuss daily challenges and needs and the role Mama Respond could play. Twelve mamas came, a little shy, wondering what this group was all about and displaying a clear need for community support.
In the last 11 months, these twelve mamas have grown to be 85. They recruited mamas themselves and received referrals from the local public hospital and Noonkopir Primary School. They've also watched our special needs unit grow from a field of dust to something they're really proud of.
Strong Mamas' most recent grassroots initiative saw the arrangement of Self-Help Community Groups (SCG). SCGs are officially recognised and allow group bank accounts and income generation to encourage accountability and local initiatives. We are now looking to mobilise and empower the SCG for community outreach, advocacy and income generation.
Our regular meetings and community assessments have reinforced the need for the training centre that we're fundraising for now. Income generation is a massive priority for these mamas who can't always conform to standard working hours. Self-sustaining businesses, run by trained and educated women, will allow workplace freedom and financial independence. Mamas can then afford uniforms and school supplies so their children can attend our special needs unit.
So, we've got the relationships, we've got the research, we've got the people. We need the funds.
Many thanks,
Erin
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