Meet One Happy Mum

“A child born to another woman calls me mum. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me.” ~ J. Landers.

As Mothers’ day fast approaches in Australia, we wanted to introduce you to some beautiful women, without whom, our work at Beyond the Orphanage, would be impossible. Our house mums are the key ingredient to our alternate care model – they are a constant source of love, support and strength for our children at every stage of their lives… much like a birth mother. Meet one happy mum, Anita.

Anita started working with our partner organisation, Sano Paila a few years ago. She wakes the children up, makes them breakfast, teaches them to wash their hands, how to brush their teeth, gets them dressed, walks them off at school. While the children are at school, she runs errands, manages the household, and prepares the meals. Then there are also the tantrums, the juggling act of sports and extra curriculum activities for each of the children, the homework help and the kiss on the forehead for each and everyone of them before they head to bed.

Familiar tasks for those of us who are parents. Anita cannot have children of her own and when she first started at Sano Paila, she viewed her position as a care giver. Things are different now.

As time passed, Anita, became emotionally attached to the children. Binu and Sanu started calling her Mummy – now she is introduced as “our Mummy” by all the children. Anita slowly stopped “working” as a caregiver and is now the mother of the children. She takes her role seriously, with a lot of passion and loves and cares for the children like they are her own.

Why not donate in honour of your Mum this Mother’s day? What a great present to know that you have changed lives. To make a donation in your mum’s name, click here.

All the children at BTO are rescued orphans, many have experienced trauma and incredible losses. House mums like Anita play a vital role with Beyond the Orphanage as we work to provide everything these children need to grow into self-reliant adults. In celebration of Mothers’ Day, here are some photos of our house mothers.

Meal preparation time for our house mum at Star Children.

The individual needs of each child is met, much like an everyday family.

While the children are at school, it’s home organising time for Mina at Star Children.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the change we seek. If you choose to sponsor a child through BTO, you will forever change their lives. Thank you.