When I think back on all the mother figures I have had in my life there are too many to count. I have been fortunate enough to have a great mom, strong grandmothers, older cousins, doting aunts, inspiring teachers, female supervisors, and girlfriends to nurture me through whatever life handed me.

The mothers of  students at Wings deal with extraordinary hardships that are a part of extreme poverty. Despite the challenges, many have put their daughter’s education and wellbeing ahead of everything else, countering the cultural bias that devalues girls. They are an inspiration and deserve our admiration.

We admire Anindita’s mother. She is married to an alcoholic but she shelters Anindita from his drinking as much as possible. Anindita shows up well groomed and enthusiastic to learn. Her mother makes sure her daughter isn’t burdened by too many chores so she can focus on her studies. As a result, Anindita is a top scorer at the school and her future is very promising.

We admire Lucia’s mother. Her husband committed suicide leaving her a single parent of three girls. She struggles every day to make a meager living running a tea stall in the village, fighting off unwilling advances from some of the village men. Her daughters rarely miss school and she is determined they will have a better life.

We admire Shari’s mother and grandmother. The two women have teamed together to make sure Shari is supported in her studies at Wings School. Shari lives with her grandmother during the week so she doesn’t have to travel 30 kilometers every day to school. This leaves her more time for her studies, which has been very beneficial.

And we admire Grace Helen Rajkumar, Executive Director for the Wings School. Grace is an emotional mother for the school’s 150 girls. She nurtures, challenges, scolds, and cheers for each of her “daughters” until they cross the finish line to graduation.

We ask you to celebrate all the mothers in your life and the mothers of Wings students by donating to The Kiran Anjali Project on Mother’s Day. Let’s honor the many sacrifices of the Wings mothers by supporting the education of their daughters.

Happy Mother’s Day!