hair straighteners ukstraightenerssalon straighten

Write for Suite101
Today's Articles
Sign In
Browse Sections
Water Harvesting tank - Mary Nyasimi
An African Mother
What will it take to appreciate mothers in Africa? Do we give them flowers that will perish? Do we say ‘thank you Mum’ and immediately forget? Or do we ease they daily burden?
As we sat to evaluate our day’s work with women under a huge Baobab tree in Tabora, Tanzania, a colleague logged into the internet and purchased a beautiful Hearts necklace from Kay Jewellers and a boutique of flowers from Mary Kay’s Flowers and Gifts to be delivered by May 8 to an address in USA. For both gifts, she used her VISA card to charge a total of USD 850.90. I asked her whether her mother’s birthday was coming up and she said “Oh No, its for mother’s day”.
Having lived in US myself for a couple of years, I had been exposed to many celebrations, some of which were quite new to me. I never paid much attention to the Mother’s day, and once I had return to Africa, I completely forgot about it. Today, my colleague reminded me of the day and that got me thinking and reflecting about African mothers who range in age from early teens (15 years) to about sixty five years, for those who are lucky. With life expectancy averaging 46 years for women in Africa,straighteners, living beyond the age of fifty is indeed being lucky.
Burdens that Mothers Carry
Burdened with health problems associated with early marriages and giving birth to more than five children, food shortages and famine, war and diseases, African women do not have time to take a breath and celebrate Mother’s day. Most countries in the developed world such as US, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany celebrate Mother’s day on the second Sunday in May. Lavished with gifts sometimes accompanied by phone calls and visits, children recognize the role and importance that mothers have played in their lives.
In some major capital cities of Africa, such as Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dakar, Lagos and Kampala, people are borrowing this celebration and starting to honor their mothers. Unfortunately, its only for mothers who also live in a city like them, educated and earning an income. The children will take their mothers for shopping and a hearty meal in a trendy restaurant. For children whose live in cities with their mothers residing in the rural areas, the mothers are never remembered on this special day.
Majority of mothers live in rural Africa, with workloads that demand for their energy and time. From raising five to eight children, supporting their husbands and the elderly, these mothers go through life without being recognized for their contribution to the world. Hidden in rural regions of Africa,salon straighteners, some of which are inaccessible by vehicles, mothers’ contribution to a country’s economic development is often under-valued and/or ignored.

In order to accomplish their workload and put food on the table and clothe their families, mothers wake up as early as 5.00AM, stretching their time into very late in the night. As I sit under the baobab tree surrounded with over a hundred mothers, I wonder whether giving them an expensive diamond necklace that costs on average USD 500 or perishable boutique of flowers that cost USD 50 will be enough. Indeed,hair straighteners uk, what could be the best gift to show our appreciation for the African mothers?
The lack of adequate physical facilities and thus making a provision for them might be an avenue to show our appreciation for the African mothers. Living in rural areas, all the mothers are engaged in manually growing and processing food and fiber with crude tools that exhaust them. They cook in open fires using woods or cow dung thus exposing them to a myriad of respiratory infections and eye diseases. They walk long distances to collect water for domestic use and firewood, often carried on their heads or backs. These backbreaking activities coupled with bearing many children eventually sap the mother’s health, strength and in some cases, plunges them into depression.
Young girls are not left out of these tedious activities. From an early age of five, girls are kept home from school to assist their overburdened mothers - leading to a vicious cycle that is perpetuated through generations.
What Gifts Can we Give an African Mother?
What contributions can we bestow on our African mothers during Mother’s day? We can start small, and construct a water tank that can harvest rainwater from iron sheets and grass thatched rooftops. These tanks cost about USD 200 for about 132 gallons tank. Wind powered equipment can be used to pump water from rivers and streams especially during dry seasons. The water can be used for domestic as well as irrigating crop fields and solar panels to supply energy for activities such as milling flour and improving lighting within the house.
Buying your mother an improved cooking stove can be one of the greatest gifts on Mother’s day. Improved stoves made from local clay that are are fired u in a kiln for longevity. The stoves cost about USD 30. The stoves have been reported to lower cooking energy requirements and tremendously reduce incidences of respiratory diseases.
Reflecting back to the gifts that my colleague bought for her mother, I realize that it would have bought 3 rainwater harvesting tanks or about 28 improved cooking stoves. Indeed, if each working child in Africa thought about appreciating their mothers, they do not need to buy jewelry or flowers, but can invest in gifts that can reduce the burden that their mothers face and improve their health. And that will put a smile on your mother...on Mother’s Day.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.