Yesterday, together with Girls for Africa, we focused on families who could use a little extra boost in putting together a big meal for the whole family. And today, we’re turning our attention to women who are facing especially tough challenges – single mothers.
Many South Sudanese moms work in factories in Iowa, often driving over an hour to work. Gas gets very expensive. So the Girls for Africa crew wanted to do something nice and useful for them. Something to make their lives just a little easier – a gift card for gas.
The girls are lucky to have so many female mentors in their lives. They each nominated one woman – who wasn’t their own mom – who has had a big impact on their lives but who may be struggling. They wrote down their nominees on a piece of paper and one by one, read them aloud to the group and described that woman. The girls chose teachers, mothers of friends, and other role models in the community.
Then they wrote nice notes to their nominee, packaged the gift card into an envelope, and made a plan to distribute.
One girl, Nyawargak, had chosen Elizabeth’s mom, Mary, for her gift card. They know each other well and Nyawargak recognizes how hard Mary works to support her family. We got to witness the beautiful exchange between them as she gave it to her – Mary was overjoyed at this kind and thoughtful gesture (not to mention completely surprised)!
The girls identified a unique, yet incredibly meaningful way to tell their female mentors in their life thank you, that they’re thinking of them, and that they’re grateful for them. And we couldn’t have been happier to play even a small role in making that happen.
