Strong Women, Strong Families
It is a strong woman who takes a little bit of help and weaves it into survival and future for their children.
It is a strong woman who applies everything she learns to making her life better.
It is a strong woman who picks up the pieces of her heart after the death of a beloved child, and cares for the remaining 5 with humor and love.
It is a strong woman who takes care of her husband when he is sick, selling what she can, and refusing to leave him to die.
It is a strong woman who learns from her mistakes and counsels her friends to avoid them.
It is a strong woman who teaches her sons how to treat a woman well.
It is a strong woman who teaches her daughters to be strong, to be wise, and to care for themselves.
It is a strong woman who shares what she has learned with her neighbor, giving her the gift of knowledge too.
It is a strong woman who says to her relative, “We are family. If ever you lack anything come and see me, and half of whatever I have for my family to eat, I will give to you.” Especially when all of what she has is barely enough for her own family.
It is a strong woman who takes out a loan, buys things to sell, and builds a business that sustains her family.
It is a strong woman who realizes that if she gives up something she enjoys for 10 months, she can save enough to start a business, so she does.
It is a strong woman who brings a child into an uncertain world and nourishes and loves her as well as she can.
It is as strong woman who lays aside her education to work so that her younger sisters and brothers can go to school.
It is a strong woman who sits all day pounding corn in the sun to scrape together enough money to buy rice to eat that evening.
It is a strong woman who lifts her disabled child from the mat every day and massages wasted limbs in order to help ease the pain and give hope of walking later.
It is a strong woman who teaches other women how to defend themselves.
It is a strong woman who refuses to give up on her premature baby and hand pumps breast milk to feed her while she lays in an incubator.
It is a strong woman who walks with head tall and back straight after a day of toil, and a night of toil to come, with a heavy basket on her head.
It is a strong woman who loves, in spite of her heart being broken.
It is a strong woman who goes out into the fields to plant rice, day after day, so her family can eat.
It is a strong woman who goes to an evening class after a hard day of work to learn a new skill.
It is a strong woman who invites guests into her humble home and shares the little she has with dignity.
It is a strong woman who uses her education to fight for justice in her community.
It is a strong woman to gives her time to help those around her.
It is strong woman who hopes, when many things look hopeless.
A strong woman is the glue that holds her family together and brings strength to her neighbors and community.
Every day we meet these women. And with your help, we put tools in their hands that they turn to strength and use to build, for themselves, for their families, and for their communities. On International Women’s Day, we honor these women, in particular, for their courage, and their strength.
Carrien is co-founder of The Charis Project, Family Education Curriculum Developer, and mom of 6.
You can get her free mini-course on Making Your Family More Resilient here.