Rafiki Exchange's Month of Mothers

How a Mother in Africa Takes Care of Her Children

“Wearing your baby” is a new trend these days for moms on the go, but African mothers have been wearing their babies for ages. With no sidewalks and having to use precarious transportation methods, such as riding on the back of a bicycle, wearing her child is the only way an African mom can get around! One might also see a heavy bowl or basket balanced atop the mother’s head with a baby fastened on her back. Motherhood in Africa is certainly not for the fainthearted!

Most mothers in Africa are working mothers. They work in the market, in the fields, and in public works, often with their children in tow. Moms are working to pay rent, put food on the table, and pay school fees, finding whatever opportunity they can in a
​high-unemployment context to support their families.

African moms cook without processed or pre-packaged foods or microwaves and many times without electricity. Boiling every drop of drinking-water on a kerosene stove to make it safe for her family and washing every fruit and vegetable to prevent illness, they must be vigilant to keep their children healthy.  

So here’s to the African mothers raising their children and caring for their families with love and perseverance! We wish them all, and you, a very happy Mother’s month!
 
Helping Africans know God and raise their standard of living, one mother at a time.