For many women in the United States, Guatemala can feel like a mysterious and complex country. It is admittedly difficult to find the similarities between the concerns and responsibilities of Guatemalan mothers as compared to those of mothers in the United States.
But as with most people worldwide, there are more similarities than there are differences among women, and specifically mothers. The human experience is a common experience: it just looks different according to our individual perspectives.
Although she lives in poverty, in a tiny country called Guatemala, her day is really no different from ours.
Take a peek into a day in the life of Sylvia, mother to seven children.
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| She is concerned about what goes on in her neighborhood |
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| She cares for her children. |
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| She starts her oven; |
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| To cook dinner for her family.
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| She cleans the house. |
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| She does endless dishes. |
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| The laundry never stops. |
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| She worries about her children’s homework. |
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| And Bills. |
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| She struggles to keep her teenagers aligned with family values.
In other words, her day is much like any mother, and every mother worldwide. The surroundings look different from yours or mine but the challenges are universal. Women in developing countries face critical resource shortages, crime, relationship issues, gender inequality and political instability, all while facing a repetitive cycle of household work that consumes the majority of their day. The European Commission report titled Women in Developing Countries (Read report here) states that of the 1.6 billion people who live in extreme poverty, the majority are women.
For all of the women on this small planet who wake up each day with determination to meet the needs of their families with we simply say:
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