A Love That Crosses Generations
Life is like a book. Each day has a new page, with adventures to tell, lessons to learn and tales of bonding journeys to remember, for mothers like mentor mum, Meena and mentee mum, Dian.
Dian is one of a nine-sibling family, but she was also “adopted” into part of the Beautiful People family five years ago. “Beautiful People make me feel at home, they make me feel welcome,” says Dian.
She and her son, Qoid, were part of the pilot programme by Beautiful People called “Baby Reader.”
Meena is Dian’s mentor mum. She says, “The Beautiful People family reaches out to young mothers who may be caught in challenging circumstances. Learning is not a one-way street, it goes both ways, not just for the mums and their kids, but
also for the mentors and the mentees.”
So strong were the nurturing motherly bonds that Meena was present at the birth of Dian’s second child Bulan, who was born when Dian was 17 years old. For Dian, the Baby Reader programme has become so much more than assisting her with diapers and milk, and helping her son to read.
“The programme helped me to be a good mother,” says Dian. It taught her about parenting skills and how to balance her work and studies. “I was given a lot of opportunities to advance myself,” says Dian. Meena guided Dian and helped her to navigate her career path. Four years ago, the 19-year old mother worked three jobs, at Pizza Hut, Juice Boost Bar and as a banquet waitress, as she made plans to advance herself even further. Now, Dian is a proud mother to four children.
“The girls who come through our community create better lives for themselves and their children,” says Meena. This is where Beautiful People hopes to make a difference. Meena and Dian are beautiful examples of how the reading journey during motherhood can empower young mums to lead the next generation into a new future. Generations that will be empowered to see beyond, to new worlds of possibilities.
2016