María Elena was living every mother’s worst nightmare. The father of her 2-year-old son, Alex, abandoned them, leaving them penniless. María found a job as a housekeeper in Lima, Peru, but could not afford to hire anyone to watch Alex while she worked. She had to bring him with her, causing her to lose her job.
“We were struggling to live,” María recalls.
María was out of options so she moved into her mother’s tiny home in Huancavelica, the poorest region in Peru.
Five Talents learned about María through ECLOF-Peru,a program that partners with the Anglican Diocese of Peru. María joined ECLOF to learn business skills and was given a loan of $178 to open a clothing store.
“Thanks to God, it has gone well,” María said. “We never would have made it without the loan to start the business.”
Now, María is sharing the love of God with her neighbors by teaching other mothers how to start their own small businesses, become self-sufficient and lift their families out of poverty.
This Mother’s Day, Five Talents will be honoring the special women in your life. Not only will you be celebrating your mother, grandmother, sister, aunt or friend, but you'll also be transforming the life of a woman in a developing country. Click here to make a donation today!
How to Honor a Special Woman this Mother’s Day:
- Make a gift to Five Talents in her honor or memory by clicking here.
- Select the date you'd like her ecard to arrive in her inbox. (For every $25 donation, you'll be able to send an additional ecard. A gift of $75 allows you to send three ecards to three different recipients!)
- Send us her name.
- We’ll post both your name and hers in the special section below.
- Then, we’ll also mail you a specially-designed card featuring María, see image above, to give to the woman you are honoring.
For more information or to request additional cards, email Kelli Ross at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (800) 670-6355. Or, to make your donation online and send an ecard, click here.
| Gift Given By: | In Honor Of: | In Memory Of: |
|---|---|---|
| Sara Allen | Marcia K. Allen | |
| David and Maryanne Anderson |
Mary Elizabeth Kemp |
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| Mary L. Barber | Rhoda Barber | |
| Anna Bongiorno | Ada Korzynski, Denise Harrington, and Carole Korzynski | |
| Christi Cebula | Janet Cebula and Vicki Jurgevich | |
| Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Clark |
Audrey Young, Henrietta Clark, April Young, Cindy Young, Faith Haynes, Carol Stork, Lori Clark, Eliana Clark, Jessica Sanchez, Rachel Sullivan, Diane Hutchinson, and Sandy Coggins |
|
| Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Craighill |
Our daughter, Wistar |
|
| Corky Eddins |
Genevieve Morris, Mary Ann Myers, and Georgie Eddins |
|
| Priscilla Eustace | Gladys Gordon | |
| Taylor Fleeson | Ardell Taylor Fleeson | |
| Heidi Foland | Doreen Foland | |
| Karen Guthrie | Ada Sengstock | |
| George Hammerschmidt and Alison Childs | Anne Hammerschmidt | |
| Joseph H. Jackson Jr. | Elsa Laybourne Jackson | |
| Cynthia Jamplis | Cynthia Jamplis | |
| Tammy S. King | Mary King | |
| Ann Koch | Mary Mackey | |
| Judith L'Hommedieu |
Caroline Amalia Hunsche Arnold, Marietta Hansen Hunsche, Ruth Harris Myers |
|
| Thomas and Marleen McCabe | Ethel McCabe | |
| Edgar and Beverly Merson | Jennifer Herzberg | |
| The Murphy Family | Barbara Kiley, Angela Murphy, Eleanor Mooney, Nora Long, Kerry Mowbray, and Julianne Murphy | |
| Hans and Majorie Osterhoudt | Karen and Wendy | |
| Mark and Kim Pacala | Betty Lou McClure and Virginia Pacala | |
| Bob and Elizabeth Roberts | Suzanne Luchs, Celia Murphey, Janice Wood, and Corrie Vos | |
| William and Kristi Roberts | Claire Lowry Lipe | |
| William and Dianna Ross | Rachel Ross | Althea Jane Catlin |
| Kelli Ross | Dianna Ross and Rachel Ross | Althea Jane Catlin |
| Rev. Cynthia L. Seifert |
Gwendolyn Seeliger, Sharon Seifert, Lannette Dunnavant, and Cathy Kennedy |
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| Timothy Shuba | Lea Shuba | |
| Helen Rhea Stumbo | Diane Knippers | |
| Thomas and Ginna Vickory | Mothers' Union Burundi, Claudette Kigeme and Francine | |
| Gary Welsh | Ann C. Welsh | |
| Sue Ann Whittington | Dortha Yoder | |
| Bruce and Claudia Williams | Tara Williams |
