In 2026, the MU’s MakeAMothersDay campaign invites people to buy “Gifts of Belonging” to support young mothers in Rwanda and globally. They provide resources, prayers, and services that emphasize community, love, and support for families.
Mothering Sunday stirs deep emotions for many of us: gratitude, love, remembrance, and sometimes sorrow. Around the world, there are teenage mothers who long for the comfort and protection of family, yet find themselves utterly alone at the moment they need love most.
In rural Rwanda, many teenage mothers face heartbreaking challenges. Poverty, hardship and violence in the home can drive girls to seek comfort from unsafe places before they fully understand the risks.
Some become pregnant through coercion or abuse. And when that happens, too often their families turn them away, leaving them isolated, stigmatised, and struggling to survive.
One of these daughters is a young woman, let’s call her Grace. When Grace became pregnant at 15, her parents were ashamed and rejected her. She had to leave home and school, with no income, no health insurance, and nowhere to go. For months she lived in fear, trying to care for her baby alone.
Then she met a woman from the local Mothers’ Union group, someone she now calls her “spiritual mother.” This woman prayed with her, and brought her into the local community support programme. Through that connection, Grace received guidance, faith-based counselling, and practical help, including a small loan of £20 to start baking chapatis to sell. Today, Grace runs her own small shop. She can feed and clothe her child, and she helps other young mothers learn business skills.
Her parents, once filled with shame, now visit her with pride, and her younger sister now sees Grace as a strong role model.
Across Rwanda, young mothers like Grace are rebuilding their lives with the support of Mothers’ Union. But, with 1 in 20 girls aged 15-19 beginning childbearing in Rwanda†, there is still so much work to do.
If you would like to know more or donate to the work of the MU please go to our website. https://www.mothersunion.org/appeal/make-a-mothers-day-2026/
I leave you with a quote from The Revd Annonciata Kabega
“Where there is no hope, there is no life. But where there is faith in God, there is life, strength and hope for a better future. This Mothering Sunday, please join Grace and support young mothers globally to build their futures.”
