It’s said, “Mothers Know Best”. That’s never been more true.
You can help the most vulnerable weather this global pandemic, right now, by providing assistance directly to the mothers in Africa that know best how to care for their families.
These women have been chosen by our trusted partner, the Uweza Foundation, working in Kenya’s largest slum, Kibera. They work as street vendors, cooks and cleaners. But overnight, they’ve seen their work income disappear. That’s because, while you may be able to work from home, they cannot. When they’re forced to stay home, their families go hungry.
They work as street vendors, cooks and cleaners. But overnight, they’ve seen their work income disappear.
But technology offers hope. Kenya has been at the forefront in the development of ‘mobile money’ solutions in the last decade. Traditionally, the rate of bank account ownership in Africa has been very low – in some countries, just one in ten adults has a bank account. But most adults have a cell phone, and these phones have now become bank accounts, particularly for the poor.
‘Mobile money’, as it’s become known, operates like a debit card. It can be used to pay for groceries, can be sent easily between family and friends as an SMS, and can also be ‘cashed-out’ in virtually every town and village in Kenya.
Placing money in a poor Kenyan’s mobile money account is as easy as sending an SMS, and it’s as good as cash.
Through a partnership with Kenyan mobile networks, 100% of your donation to this campaign will go directly to the bank account of a mother or grandmother who was the bread-winner for their family before COVID-19 upended their lives.
Giving cash at times like this makes most sense. It doesn’t require mothers to stand in line for hours to receive food handouts and it allows the network of small stores within the slum area to continue in business. Perhaps most importantly, it recognizes that when it comes to caring for their children, mothers know best.
Send $10 today and we’ll give her that $10 tomorrow. That’s our promise. And as long as the most serious effects of COVID-19 continue, supporting these mothers is the most efficient and effective intervention we can make.