Today we celebrate Mother’s Day in the UK and I’ve been reflecting on the critical role that Mums play. Not only in the lives of their own children, but also wider than this, such as those Mums helping non-profit organisations like Creating Better Futures.

I’ll start with a verse I found, responding to being ‘just a Mum’:

“Yes, I am a Mother! That makes me an alarm clock, cook, maid, waitress, teacher, nurse, referee, handyman, security officer, photographer, counsellor, chauffeur, event planner, hairdresser, personal assistant and cash machine. I scare away the bad dreams fears.
I don’t get paid for my time, I don’t get paid holidays, sick pay or days off.
I work DAY & NIGHT. I am on call 24/7 for the rest of my life. That’s just BEING A MUM!”

I am sure that many of you reading will relate to some or all of this verse.

Personally I’m struck by two things, firstly the sheer number of roles that are required to just be a Mum and secondly, that this is the ultimate voluntary position.

I am fortunate that I get to see this first hand, as my amazing wife, Dorothy, does all these things (and much more) for our two beautiful girls, while also passionately volunteering full-time to help other children in Zimbabwe, who in most cases have lost their own Mums.

I see up close the commitment and effort that this requires 24/7, with no pay and very few days off. It’s hard work and as far as I can see it’s much harder and more involving than the ‘9 to 5 work’ that I do each week.

But while it’s tough, I see how the rewards are rich and varied and that being a Mum is not a job, it’s a vocation, a passion, a wholehearted endeavour of the soul.

I also see how the seeds of Dorothy’s life were planted long ago by her own mum and grandmother, and that these seeds were patiently tended over time so that they grew.

The impact of these Mums is helping many thousands of children in Zimbabwe today!

So as a father, a husband, a son and a co-founder of Creating Better Futures, I would like to thank all the Mums out there who are developing young lives and giving there precious time and skills to help those close to home and further afield.

I salute you for your passion, commitment and dedication. The world would be less beautiful if you didn’t take on one of the most important roles of all, just being a Mum.

Finally, I would like to thank Dorothy for being an amazing Mum and more.

Best wishes to all on Mother’s Day,

Michael Dix

If you’d like to make a difference to children we support, you can;

  • Volunteer in the UK and Zimbabwe
  • Help with admin, digital marketing and fundraising in our Reading office
  • Help teach, construct boreholes, classrooms and toilets in Zimbabwe
  • Promote us at your church, club, school and work
  • Organise activities and events using our fundraising ideas
  • Fundraise for us or donate at JustGiving
  • Ask people who support your fundraising event to sign a Gift Aid form; the government gives 25p extra for every £1 you raise so we get £1.25
  • Sponsor a child for £15 a month to give them skills, vision and motivation
  • Have fun choosing items to fill a shoebox and the joy of opening one lasts forever
  • Purchase from retailers at easyfundraising; we get a percentage of what you spend
  • Take advantage of retailer discounts at Savoo and we get a donation from every purchase you make
  • Use easysearch to search the Internet, instead of Google, so we benefit
  • Promote us by liking and sharing our blogs, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter posts
  • We work with Rotary International and our projects are overseen by Rotary Club of Harare