Dear Friend,

There is a Five Talents memory that always makes me smile.

I was visiting a Savings Group in Burundi, and there was a toddler who was distractingly adorable. He patiently sat in his mother’s lap (or so I thought) until his patience expired. Bored, he proceeded to quickly run to another woman in the group and climb onto her lap with such confidence that I thought, ah, this must be his actual mother.

Well, the little rascal wriggled in and out of so many laps and elicited affection or easy familiarity from so many women in the group that it was impossible to discern to whom he really belonged. It was both comical and heartwarming to see him being collectively mothered.

Mothers in our Savings Groups work hard together to save and invest, often having to overcome unfathomable challenges borne down upon them. Many of the women are single due to violent conflict or the heavy stressors that poverty puts on a marriage or the sobering byproduct of gender inequity.

However, these women are not alone.

In their Savings Groups, even beyond financial literacy, they find encouragement, trust, and a deep sense of community. This community bond was so evident that I couldn’t even discern who this little boy’s actual mother was because he was cared for by so many.

This Mother’s Day, thank you for being part of their community of support. Because of you, mothers around the world are able to better care for and provide for those they love most and that is a blessing multiplier.

Happy Mother’s Day!

With heartfelt gratitude,