Let's celebrate the mothers who everyday do their best to provide for themselves, their families and their communities!

Crossroads works with local partners and volunteers to empower and support women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Our work is even more urgent in the face of COVID-19, as years of progress are threatening to come undone.

Many of the girls are victims of gender-based violence, early marriage and Female Genital Mutilation. The pandemic is increasing poverty, forcing girls out of school and into work or marriage. The virus has put 2.5 million more girls at risk of early marriage by 2025 according to report from Save the Children released October 1.

Many of the women are frontline workers, mothers and caretakers who work to support their families. The UN is reporting a horrifying global surge in domestic violence towards women and girls, linked to COVID-19 lockdowns. In the 12 months before the outbreak, 243 million women and girls (aged 15-49) around the world were subjected to sexual or physical violence. That is more than 6 times the entire population of Canada!

This Mother's Day, we can empower these women and girls as they face the threat of food insecurity, gender-based violence on top of the devastating consequences of the pandemic. Give the gift of a Mother's love in honour of your mom or a mother figure that has inspired you. Your gift will directly fund our COVID-19 response to support local partners in sub-Saharan Africa. These partners are making sure the rights of women and girls are upheld and survivors of violence are heard.