Damage To Our Mothers

If I just stood and stared as 16 mothers, hungry themselves, tried impatiently to feed their fidgety babies, eating would never be a happy moment for their malnourished family. If I just stood around twelve children aged 2 to 11, there would be a lot of crying. If I just stood there while a child reached up for me, wanting to play, there would be no reassurance to that child that her needs are important and she deserves love.

Working for something you believe in requires more than just standing for it. When I stand for the mothers and children living in poverty in Asunción, Paraguay, I work with them. Simply believing in solving the issue is not enough. Paraguay is a small country, smaller in population than 12 states in America. Between South American countries Brazil and Argentina, Paraguay is commonly overlooked. However, Paraguay’s culture is just as rich, if not richer, than the neighboring countries, but development and corruption are nearly equal in devastation. As a result, Paraguay has a huge poverty rate.

Over the past two summers, I volunteered at CONIN, an organization that fights malnutrition for children living in poverty. This organization goes beyond feeding children: the staff and administration provide workshops, education and support to the mothers, who are commonly raising the children with absent fathers.

Why Paraguay? Because my family lives there today. My mother works with these mothers year round. She stands for them, works with and for them, until they will stand for themselves. Because of my mother, I will aspire to help women struggling with poverty anywhere I am. Poverty alone is not the only issue: the lack of opportunity for any person is a serious problem. But how do we address a problem that took thousands of years to worsen, a seemingly permanent issue throughout history?

Start with the people who hold the future inside them: The mothers. The people who can demand more, who will contribute to the fight for equality among all genders. Equal rights cannot be given or taken, they are deserved and expected. By creating societies that recognize equal rights, more women will be involved in societal process. The more educated women the greater the strength for peace and justice. Balance must be achieved among genders and individuals. The poverty in Paraguay is not unique, nor is it blameless. We, people who have benefitted from the thousands of years of worsening poverty, owe justice to those suffering poverty today. To inherit the fault of our ancestors and make amends to the people wronged by history.

While I volunteer at CONIN for women empowerment, it is a preliminary step for the general empowerment of people living in poverty. To act in solving the absence of education and compassion is to represent the people who answer cries, who care when needs are not being addressed and who provide a basis to create opportunities and systems that allow a better life. We begin with the mothers, with the people who hold the ability to begin lives and with that a better future.