Poverty is complex. Our plan is simple! And it actually can break the cycle of poverty. Mary’s story is proof of Save A Family Plan’s success.
Widowed at a young age, Rosy, Mary’s mother, was faced with tragic and hopeless circumstances. Left alone to care for her three young children and her aging mother-in-law, she had no money for food, new clothes, or medicine. In those times, widows in Kerala were ostracized, harassed, and considered bad luck. But, though not an educated person, Rosy was a leader and an inspiration to other women in her community. Mary remembers her mother as being “poor only in the financial aspect, but rich in courage, knowledge, and spirituality.”
By joining SAFP’s Family Development Program, Rosy taught her children that despite obstacles, women could be empowered to rise above. In addition to working for daily wages and starting rice paddy cultivation and a mat weaving business, Rosy reared cows, goats, and chickens.
Her mother’s encouragement to acquire an education not only inspired Mary, it also enabled her to find a career with an organization that continues to empower thousands of women like her mother. Mary has been working in the Finance Department of the SAFP India office in Kerala for the last 20 years. She only came to realize her lifelong connection to our organization when she discovered her mother’s SAFP profile in historical records from the India office.
In 2017, through her work with Save A Family Plan, Mary travelled to Canada to visit our office in London, Ontario and looks forward to other opportunities in the future to meet our wonderful donors!
Although photographs of Rosy, who has since passed away, were destroyed in the 2018 Kerala floods, her memory and legacy continue on through Mary. Mary continues to live in Kerala with her husband and their children and she has good career with a bright future.
We are proud that our program works. But we are especially proud of Mary and all that she has accomplished. All in thanks to the love of her mother and her determination to provide a better life for her family through involvement in the SAFP Family Development Program.
Our plan is not only simple, it simply works!