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The Norfolk and Norwich Christian community website

Mother's Day can be a very difficult time

JoSale400As Mother’s Day approaches, a Norwich Christian charity is working to help a group of women who find it a very difficult time, as Jo Sale describes.
The word ‘mother’ will evoke different thoughts, feelings and sentiments from each of us. We hope that for most people these are positive sentiments – love, happiness, warmth, care, comfort, stability, home.
 
For others there will be a sense of the unknown or misunderstanding. Some people will associate the word mother with pain, guilt, blame or shame. We all have a mother and yet we all have a different understanding of a mother-child relationship.
 
There are a group of women in Norwich who meet together regularly, most of whom are mothers themselves. Yet motherhood or being a daughter has not always been a positive experience for them.
 
These women are all part of a group called STEP (Standing Together Encouraging People) which supports vulnerable women. These ladies have experienced various types of exploitation and most have very low self-esteem. Some have had traumatic childhood experiences involving their mothers and other family members. Their trust in their mother has been irreparably broken.
 
Some are mothers themselves and yet lack a good role model in doing the job. For some their children are no longer living with them, and they are even unsure of their whereabouts. Mothers Day can be a difficult day to face when life, relationships and motherhood have been tough. These are women who are often shunned in society and yet are as deserving of special treats as even the best mother among us!
 
StepLogoHowever, treats don’t come very regularly to the ladies at STEP. The volunteers at STEP do their best to bring love, support, happiness and laughter to these women’s lives. STEP has become a vital part of their day-to-day living, knowing that a friend and support is only a phone call away. As one of the girls recently said “I don’t know what I would do without STEP.”
 
STEP not only emotionally supports these women, but will give practical help with housing, attending medical appointments and giving food parcels to families in need, etc.
 
However, despite a wonderful team of volunteers there is only so much that can be done without the finances to keep it going. God has provided for STEP on every stage of its journey from the day it was started. This provision has come from donations from churches, groups, and individuals.
 
If you feel that donating to STEP is something that you would like to do, you can know that the money will be spent wisely to benefit these deserving women. If you are interested in volunteering, setting up a regular standing order, supporting STEP in prayer or helping out in any way, then please contact us on stepoffice1@yahoo.co.uk.
 
More details on STEP can be found on their website: www.stepnorwich.com
 
On behalf of these inspiring daughters of God who have come through so much and yet can still smile, Thank you.
 

 
Jo Sale (pictured top) is Engagement Co-ordinator at STEP, a Norwich Christian charity who’s mission is to create a safe environment for vulnerable women and to help rebuild broken lives. They offer meals, advocacy and Bible studies as some of the ways to support these women.

 


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