Give to gain

“Give to gain.”It sounds simple. Almost transactional. But for many women especially our mothers giving has never been about receiving something in return. It has been about love. Duty. Hope. Survival.

Across homes, villages, and cities, mothers are the original givers.

They give their time waking up before everyone else, sleeping long after the house has gone quiet. They give their energy working in homes, in farms, in markets, in offices, often without pause.They give their emotions carrying the worries of the family, absorbing pain, offering comfort even when they themselves are tired.And sometimes, they give everything they have, whether it is plenty or painfully little.

A mother will break her last note just to make sure there is supper.She will go without so her child can have.She will choose school fees over new clothes, medicine over her own comfort, the future over the present. And in all this giving, something powerful happens; the family gains.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, women contribute up to 60 to 80 percent of food production, yet many of them eat last and least.In Kenya, women spend up to four times more hours on unpaid care work than men, time that is rarely counted, yet holds families together.

Globally, if unpaid care work were valued, it would contribute an estimated 10 trillion dollars annually to the economy.

But beyond the numbers, there is a deeper truth. Entire generations are built on the invisible sacrifices of women.

“Give to gain” is not just a theme. It is a reality our mothers have lived for decades.

They give so their children can gain education.They give so their families can gain stability.They give so the next generation can gain opportunity.

And often, they do this without recognition, without applause, without rest.

Yet their giving is not weakness it is strength in its purest form. But perhaps this Women’s Month calls us to do more than just acknowledge.

What if we asked Who is giving to the giver? What if we created systems where a mother’s sacrifice is not the only safety net, where her work is supported, her dreams are valid, and her burdens are shared?

This is why programs like the Fanikisha Program exist.

At its heart, Fanikisha recognizes that while women give so much, they also deserve the opportunity to gain. It brings together women from underserved communities and equips them with practical skills in business development, financial management, and cookery not just to survive, but to thrive.

Through Fanikisha, a woman who once stretched a single coin learns how to grow it. A mother who carried her family alone finds a community that supports her.A small idea at a kitchen table becomes a source of income, dignity, and pride.

It is a space where giving is honored but growth is intentional. Where women are not only providers but builders of sustainable futures.

So today, we honor the women who give quietly.The mothers who stretch every coin, every hour, every ounce of strength.The women whose sacrifices may never be fully seen, but whose impact can never be denied.

They have always lived the truth. To give is to build. To give is to transform. To give is to create a future.

Now, it is time the world gives back.