A mother's wish for her child

Mothers all over the world have hopes and dreams for their children and SOS mothers are no different, even though the children they look after are not biologically their own. As a co-worker from Mozambique says, "SOS mothers are, of course, substitute mothers, but they don't feel like that. They feel as though they are biological mothers. That is why they work so hard for the children; so that in the future, their children can be successful in the community. When a parent can see their child in this situation, they know that their mission is fulfilled and accomplished." SOS mother Emma carries on the theme. "Just imagine. We receive the children when they are very young - some are just babies. As time passes, the children are growing up, bit by bit, in our hands. How could we not consider them as our children when we are the ones looking after them?" Mama Alice adds, "Wherever an SOS mother goes, you will hardly ever see her alone. There is always at least one SOS child with her, even if she is nowhere near the SOS Children's Village, or even visiting her own family from wherever she comes from." Mama Amelia concurs. "Even just the length of time that we live with the children creates the conditions for us to bond deeply with the children." She continues, "We want the children to complete their studies so that they can have a high standard of living when they are older. This is why we advise them to be friends with their class exercises and their schoolbooks." "Our dreams are to see our children well equipped and ready for the challenges that will face them in the future. We are able to look after them now when they are young, but we want to see them able to look after themselves as well as we could look after them. That is why we train them to be independent, even though we love them and will miss them when they are grown up and leading their own lives."