In the UK many families gather together on Mothering Sunday to give special love to their mums. This celebration really isn’t just for mothers but for the entire family.
Mothering Sunday has its roots in the sixteenth century, when people returned to their mother church for a service on Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday in Lent). This included family members who worked away from home and once a year would walk home "a-mothering" — the only time that whole families could gather, if prevented by conflicting working hours.
While around the world mothers are honoured at different times of the year, Feba radio programmes appreciate mothers and families all year long in special topic programmes.
“While the family is the basic unit in the community, it is the mother who cements the family together and influences her children, teaching them basic values, virtues and the fear of God. So once the Christian family is set right, the community, church and mission will all in turn be set right," says Kousy, Head of Audience Relations at Feba India. "The challenge of running the home and performing well at work is herculean — being the ideal wife, mother, daughter and sister. These are the things which make our life worthwhile.”
To address popular women and family issues, Pauline, Programming Manager at Baraka FM in Kenya says: “We have called leadership of the day, decision makers and also women themselves to discuss a way forward on what needs to be done.” Baraka FM's Chombez Time is a women’s programme discussing topics like recipes, health, beauty tips and HIV/AIDS.
The Arab Women Today programme broadcast in Arabic to the Middle East deals with problems that women face in education, practical life, marital life, raising children — teaching moral and spiritual principles that help women deal with these issues. Programme Producer Noor reminds us that women in the Middle East “are shy to contact us and they also have this belief that a woman's opinion is not taken into consideration. This of course is why the women’s programmes in our schedules are important, to encourage them to think otherwise."