"I escaped to Byumba after the genocide. The SOS Children's Village co-workers there asked me if I wanted to work for them, as they had lost so many of their SOS mothers in the war. I was overjoyed, because my husband had worked for SOS Children's Villages for more than fourteen years. He was godfather to some of the children and was like a second father to them. I was so sad that I had been widowed without having had any children by my husband. After his death there was nothing of him here anymore. That's why I'm even happier that I'm allowed to look after these children now, who were after all, his children too."
These are the words of Marie from Rwanda. Marie also talks about her daily life in the SOS Children's Village, about her dreams and hopes, her worries about the children and her plans for the future. Marie is one of 15 women who are portrayed in the book: "Women's Lives". All these women have one thing in common: they have decided to be a SOS mother. The day-to-day life of Subashini from India, Conny from Germany, Mildre from Bolivia and their 12 colleagues was also documented in photographs in order to present an image that is as complex as possible. Extracts from the personal diaries of the authors complete it with their observations, impressions and emotions.
Many stereotypes exist about SOS mothers, much has been written about them - here it is their turn to talk and to offer to the reader some insight into their life stories and daily lives in this unusual profession .
The book. "Women's Lives. SOS Mothers Around the World Tell Their Stories" can be ordered for EURO 29.- under SOSMothers@sos-kd.org and will be delivered in mid-December.
Ullmann, Elisabeth / Demuth, Karin / Brandl, Astrid; Fotos: Fred Einkemmer: "Women's Lives. SOS Mothers Around the World Tell Their Stories", ISBN 3-9500984-3-7, Innsbruck, 2003, 240 pages, hard copy Euro 29.-