Mama of the Month: Nancy

When we launched Somebody’s Mama, our goal was to bring awareness to issues affecting women across the globe, to create a community of people who care deeply about finding real solutions, and to turn ideas into action.  We are a project of 4HIM, an organization that has been working with people around the world to create stronger families and communities through partnership.  4HIM has a history of working both locally and globally, and one of the questions we hear often is “Why go to other countries?” or put another way, “Why don’t you just work locally?”  It’s a valid question—anyone with her eyes open will see that there are opportunities to partner with the underserved right outside our front door.

The answer to that question is complex but put simply: it’s a small world.  We do not see caring for our literal neighbors or our neighbors in Africa as being different, and it certainly isn’t an either/or dilemma.  We might even argue that serving in your own backyard can inspire you to do the same somewhere far away.  We believe that the good we do "here" is practice for the good we can do "there."

We chose our newest MOM because she embodies the spirit of compassion that motivates us to address the problems directly in our faces AND the perspective that cross-cultural relationships bring.  Nancy has worked in the education field  for almost 25 years, first as a teacher and then as a guidance counselor.  She happens to be the wife of 4HIM’s founder, Steve, and the actual mother of, Leia, one of Somebody’s Mama’s founding members.  Over the last twenty years, she’s spent many vacation days traveling to areas of the world where education is an opportunity for the privileged and merely a slight possibility for many poor and rural families.

Motivated by the belief that once the immediate needs of food, water, and shelter are met, every single person deserves a chance to educate themselves, Nancy has inspired hundreds, maybe thousands, of young children to believe in their potential—from a classroom in Oklahoma City, OK to the beaches of West Africa.

We asked Nancy to answer a few simple questions. Her answers need no crafting to create a narrative.  She’s a woman who gets what Somebody’s Mama is all about.  Here’s what Nancy had to say:

Q: What drew you to education? What role do you see education playing in improving conditions for women around the world?  

A: I love Derek Bok’s quote “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”  Education empowers people to think, create, dream, hope, and thrive.  Without education, people are at the mercy of others.  
I was a teacher long before I got a degree.  I looked for opportunities to teach others even as a small child.  I admired my own teachers who nurtured my love of learning and the desire to teach others. 
Lack of education hinders people from being able earn a living wage, judge whether business deals are fair, read laws, and influence the community.  This is true especially for women who have been stripped of dignity, property rights, opportunity, and control.  Families and communities benefit when women are given a voice, training, and a chance to improve themselves.

Nancy with the staff from her school

Q:  What are some lessons you learned from your own mother? What are the biggest challenges and joys you’ve experienced as a mother?

A: My mother repeatedly said, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  I pursued goals which were unthinkable and often discouraged in my rural community.  Expectations were low for many girls.  In contrast, my teachers continually told me that I could and should go to college.  Along with their encouragement, I could hear my mom’s mantra.  I pursued a B.S. in Elementary Education then continued until I received my M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling.
The biggest challenge of mothering was to build confidence and independence in my child without losing the ability to guide her until she was an adult.  The biggest joy of mothering was seeing my daughter use her confidence and independence to empower her own children.
Children have reminded me of my influence by their responses to me.  One boy asked me if I really believed he could go to college.  I responded by saying, “I believe you will with all of my heart.”  I’ve rocked little ones full of despair to have them say, “You love me.”  Yes, I do.  I correct children with the reassurance that I love them too much to let them fail.  Education is an invaluable tool for people regardless of where they live.

Nancy with her husband, daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons

Statistics tell us that there are 65 million girls without access to education in the world today, many of them in countries stripped bare by war, famine, and poverty.  These girls are no less bright than the babies we are raising in the United States, and their lives are just as important as the lives of our daughters.  We are passionate about education at Somebody’s Mama because we’ve seen how it has elevated people out of poverty—books, school uniforms, pencils and paper are, in a sense, tangible hope.

One of our first roles as Mamas is that of teacher.  It’s something that comes naturally to many of us—we teach them how to talk and to walk, how to use a spoon and how to ride a bike.  We teach them how to be confident and how to be a friend.  We teach them how to love themselves and how to love others.  

Undoubtedly, many of us can look back on our own education journeys and pinpoint a teacher who inspired us in some way to be better, do better, think better—teachers like Nancy, who believe that every single child deserves a chance to learn and that every single child who is given that opportunity has a chance to change the world.

Mama of the Month: Colleen

Meet our January MOM--Colleen!  We first met Colleen at Idea Camp in Austin, TX, where a group of people from around the world had gathered to talk about “human care.”  At the heart of the conference was a goal to share stories, brainstorm ways to connect, and explore what it means to care for each other.

Colleen describes herself as a “homeschooling, jungle living, freelance writing, Pope Francis loving Catholic missionary who is beginning her third year of serving the indigenous Cabecar population in one of the most remote areas of Costa Rica.”  She, along with her husband, Greg, and five boys founded the St. Bryce Mission with the aid of local bishops.  In just a couple of years, Colleen and her family have established programs focused on food sustainability, employment opportunity, education, and maternal healthcare.

One of the things Somebody’s Mama wants to accomplish is finding ways to improve maternal healthcare around the world, so we were especially interested in Colleen’s work at the St. Francis Emmaus Hospitality Center.  Infant and maternal mortality rates among the Cabecar people are high due to the remoteness of their village and lack of access to medical care, so Colleen’s family welcomes expectant and new mothers to live for a short time in an addition to their house. (Yep, you read that right!)  While staying at the center, women and their families receive pre- and post-natal care with access to medical facilities that would be hours away if they birthed their children at home in the village.  Currently, the center can accommodate five mothers and their families at a time, and they hope to eventually expand to accommodate twenty.

Last month, we jumped at the chance to network with Colleen when she shared a story about a young mother whose milk supply was not ample enough to feed her baby, something rare among the Cabecar women, who typically breastfeed exclusively for two years with each child, and something that meant almost certain death for her baby.  Within a couple of days ten Mamas had donated $400 to purchase formula for the baby’s first year of life.  This tiny effort made a life-changing impact on a Costa Rican Mama, embodying the spirit of Mother Theresa who famously said, “We cannot do great things, only small things with great love.”

Last week, Colleen posted on Facebook that “Thanks to your help and support, baby Sabrina is thriving and was released in to well baby care at her last check up...our friends at Somebody’s Mama have ensured through their support that Noemy will be able to supplement with the formula Sabrina needs for her whole first year! The infant mortality rate among the Cabecars in five times higher than the national rate in Costa Rica and equals that in nations such as Tanzania. With your help, the St. Bryce Foundation is taking that down one baby at a time.”

When we asked Colleen what great lessons motherhood has taught her, she told us that being a mother is a gift that reflects the true nature of love in a way nothing else can.  She also takes joy in seeing how the bond of motherhood crosses boundaries and breaks down walls to help her connect with the women she serves.

Aside from loving the adventure and challenge of raising five boys, Colleen also knows the pain of losing a child at a very young age and four others through miscarriage.  Her mothering experience has been full of joy and pain, love and loss, triumph and defeat--an experience that brings into sharp focus the importance of supporting other mothers on their journeys.  About her own mother, Colleen says that she learned to nurture love and laughter in her home and to always remember to purposefully take time to care for herself and to invest in friendships.  Colleen added that even as a missionary wife and mom, she enjoys a little girly bling, bright lipstick, and shoes that make a statement.

Somebody’s Mama is blessed to call Colleen a friend and fellow Mama.  We are happy to have been able to play a small part in the success of her mission in Costa Rica and look forward to following Colleen’s journey with St. Bryce Mission.  Join us today in celebrating a life well-lived, a Mama who is the essence of all we believe about who we can be.  Brava, Mama!

Mama of the Month: Jody

Meet our first MOM (Mama of the Month!).  Jody is currently mothering six children—five boys and one spunky little girl.  After giving birth to four boys in a row, Jody’s twins joined the family from Sierra Leone through what she describes as the “tragedy and miracle of adoption.”  (You can catch up on all things Jody here at her personal blog.)

We “sat down” with Jody (we really just sent her a message on Facebook, but it sounds so journalistic and official that way) and asked her some questions about her view on motherhood and the world.  Here’s what she had to say:

What is the biggest lesson you learned from your mother?

My mom was the epitome of service and empathy and thoughtfulness—of seeing others, paying attention, and moving toward action with empathy and compassion.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned from motherhood?

Being a mother added a fierceness to my compassion.  I think sometimes you don't realize what you have until you experience the love for a child.  And it can be channeled to advocate for mothers around the world in some pretty cool ways.

What issues affecting women around the world are you passionate about?

Family preservation and economic opportunity.  

So what is “family preservation and economic opportunity?”  Jody plays a key role in running an organization called The Adventure Project, a non-profit that was “established to increase investments in positive social enterprises around the world.”  In the last three years, TAP has grown quickly to address humanitarian issues related to the environment, water, hunger, and health.  A look at their results page shows real individual lives being changed through jobs sponsored by TAP’s donors—individuals who are transforming their communities, primarily through their ability to have safe, stable jobs for the first time.

Somebody’s Mama exists in part to highlight the work real mamas are doing around the world.  Jody is one of our people—she’s living proof that women are capable of so much when our thoughts turn to action.

Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  Today, we celebrate the ripples Jody is making in the lives of the six children she and her husband, Andy, are raising in Olympia, WA and in the lives of mamas across the globe.

Who Are We?

“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” (B. R. Ambedkar)

We are mamas, daughters, aunts, grandmothers, and friends who believe in the power of cooperation.  Throughout history, we find instances where women have turned adversity into opportunity and lack of resources into ingenuity.  We gather in honor of those who have gone before us and those who come after us.  We believe that a woman’s place in this world is anywhere she feels empowered, fulfilled, and whole.  We believe “women’s work” to be finding the beauty that binds us, soothing the pains that divide us, and leading the call for peace and justice.

“Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.” (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.)

Fairness.  Caring.  Integrity.  Those three words encapsulate the heart of what we wish to accomplish.  We are driven to help women get a fair shot at a good life, our actions always rooted in love and grace and based on a cornerstone of principled and sincere honesty. We want to be in the business of human care, and we believe that a better world will result from our combined effort to meet the needs of women.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)

The power of the collective is far greater than the power of even the most ambitious individual.  We are better when we work together.  Our vision for Somebody’s Mama is that we each bring our individual passions, talents, and resources together to benefit our sisters around the world. We want everyone’s voice to be heard in making decisions about what projects we pursue, and we want to partner with people and organizations that spend their time and resources effectively.

“…there is nothing new under the sun.” (The Bible, Ecclesiastes 1:9)

We have no interest in reinventing the wheel.  Instead of creating something “new,” we want to identify global issues affecting women and find other Mamas who are currently addressing those issues.  None of this will work if we are subject to an individual agenda.  While something like this requires leadership on a logistics level, we are never done learning, and we want to partner with people and organizations who are already leading the way.

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We will be inviting you to participate with us in several world-wide projects.  We hope you will invite your friends to be a part of what we feel called to do.  Aside from our specified projects, we want to hear what you and your friends are doing in your communities!  In the coming months, we want  Somebody’s Mama to be a “gathering space” for discussing ideas, celebrating the women of Somebody’s Mama, and acting out love in tangible ways.  We are so glad you are here!

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