If there’s one thing I’ve seen in my career as a New Zealand humanitarian photographer and storyteller, photographing mothers around the world, it’s that when a woman is given the opportunity to rise out of poverty, she brings her whole community with her.
Hi, I’m Helen, and over the last 15 years I’ve had the immense privilege of having a front row seat to the breathtaking beauty of motherhood, in 47 countries around the globe. This Mother’s Day, here’s three things I’ve learned from the mothers I‘ve photographed.
Firstly, there’s no us and them, there’s only us. Before I started doing this kind of work, I was tempted to imagine that mothers in developing countries who endured horrific things “on the news” were fundamentally different from me. Maybe they didn’t feel things like I did? They’re “used to it”, numbed by the ubiquitous presence of suffering. Maybe they expect less, care less, hope for less, want less, or need less. But as I’ve got to know Mums all over the world, and photographed them and their children, I’ve come to see something life-giving. As different as our cultures and contexts might be, there’s really no difference in what we want for our children; only in what we as mothers can give them.
Secondly, why so fast? Maybe it’s because I move at the speed of a bat out of hell. One of the main things I’ve learned about Mum’s in the places I photograph is that their pace of life is so much calmer than mine. I remember Kate, a Mum in Uganda telling me; “Westerners seem to really rush with everything. They have a lot to do and they feel like they have to get it done. For them everything is now, now! They keep time, and for them it has to be exactly that time. I’ve heard that you have schedules for your children’s napping, and you get mad if the baby doesn’t follow it? We do what we do in a relaxed way. They’ll sleep when they sleep.”
Thirdly, simplicity with our kids is underrated. We live in a world that’s all about more toys, more gadgets, more after school activities, more designer brands, and more technology. But the mothers I’ve photographed have taught me by their example that a stick and a soccer ball made of plastic bags is more than enough to ignite a child’s imagination. One Mum called Juliet told me, “I’ve heard people in the West have an entire room for one child where they sleep all by themselves and only their things are in there.” If I had to sum it up, these mothers have taught me that my children lack for nothing- and maybe could do with less.
As we approach Mother’s Day, let’s collectively take a moment to pay tribute to mothers both here in New Zealand and all around the globe. “Here’s to strong women everywhere. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” Anonymous.
1.Annet (Uganda)
Annet gave birth at home, before jumping on a motorbike and giving birth a second time at a local hospital. Shortly after she arrived, she found out she would need a c-section to deliver her third baby. At 32 she had surprise triplets, Patience, Grace, and Samuel. “In our culture, twins are a blessing, but triplets are a curse. For me though, these children are a blessing.” Annet said. Shot for @Compassion
2. Charlotte (Tanzania)
Premature baby Robert was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Here he takes a moment to rest in his mother’s arms. Giving birth is an achievement, let alone doing it for the fifth time, in a refugee camp, to a premature baby. Shot for @MedicalTeamsInternational
3. Juliette (Uganda) After Juliette’s husband got seriously involved with drugs and alcohol, she left him, took her daughter and moved in with her mother. The Compassion project then wrapped around the two of them and helped them get back on their feet. Today she’s a working Mama with a daughter that’s going to be the first to go all the way through school. At this point, that’s only possible because she’s a sponsored child. Shot for @Compassion
4.Olivier (Uganda) joined a women’s self-help savings group in her village, starting with just 50c. With incredible determination and grit, today she pays for all five of her children’s school fees, has brought electricity into her home, laid a concrete floor, and put iron sheeting on her roof. Olivier has forever personified the word “empowerment” for me. Shot for @WorldRenew
5. Kate (Uganda) Kate and her daughter share a special moment together outside their home. Sadly, Kate’s husband lost his job and left her during her pregnancy, abandoning Kate to give birth and raise Pamela by herself. Five years on, the family is now back together, and Kate is the proud owner of a fruit and vegetable business. Shot for @Compassion
6. Latashe (Ethiopia): Latashe, 65, sits outside her home. Because of the savings group she joined (through Tearfund), she’s been able to install water in her house and now sell it to others. “God prepared things for me to do in advance and I am realising them through this business. As I’m now a grandma able to support three orphans aged 5-12.” Shot for @Tearfund
7.South Sudan Border: For many people living on our planet, water is not a given, it’s a gift. And when you live in a refugee camp on the border of South Sudan and Uganda, the simple gift of a nice cold bath from your mama towards the end of the day is exactly what you feel like. Shot for @Zoa
8.Senegal: The sound of mothers and their babies filled the air as I sat in a rural doctor’s office in Senegal and took in the sea of colour and life unfolding before me. Shot for @World Vision
Read More: A Kiwi Connection: Supporting Bali’s Mothers and Babies Against the Odds
Helen Manson has been doing an exhibition, photography and storytelling speaking tour across New Zealand as part of Tearfund’s Celebration of Humanity Tour. The South Island Events will be in Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill June 7-9. For more info visit https://www.tearfund.org.nz/Get-Involved/Events/Celebration-of-Humanity.
