Mother’s Day comes with flowers, cards, and messages of appreciation. But beyond the celebrations, many mothers continue to face barriers that make life harder every day. Access to healthcare remains limited. Economic struggles continue to push women into poverty. Harmful cultural beliefs still deny many women the right to make decisions about their own bodies and lives.
At Reproductive Health Accountability and Response Kenya (RHARK), working alongside grassroots movements and organizations such as Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health, we believe mothers deserve more than praise for one day. They deserve policies, healthcare systems, and economic opportunities that protect their dignity throughout the year.
In Kenya and across the world, mothers carry families through difficult times. They stretch few resources to feed, educate, and care for their children. They carry emotional burdens while still expected to hold homes together. Yet their contribution is rarely reflected in political decisions, health budgets, or economic planning.
The result is painful. When mothers cannot access healthcare, entire families suffer. When women lack economic independence, they become more vulnerable to violence, exploitation, and poor health outcomes. When courts roll back reproductive rights, the effects are felt in homes, hospitals, and communities.
The recent Mombasa court ruling that weakened constitutional protections on safe abortion raised serious concern among reproductive health advocates. Restricting access to safe reproductive healthcare does not stop women from seeking abortions. It only pushes poor and vulnerable women into unsafe conditions that risk injury, trauma, and death.
This is why RHARK continues to center mothers, young women, and girls in its work. Through community advocacy, we push for maternal healthcare services, access to accurate information, and protection of reproductive health rights. We also support economic empowerment programs that equip women with business and savings skills so they can make independent decisions about their lives and health.
From village dialogues to national conversations, we continue to amplify voices that are often ignored. We create safe spaces where women can share experiences, receive psychosocial support, and build solidarity with each other. Through approaches such as deep canvassing, communities are encouraged to confront harmful beliefs and practices that continue to deny women basic rights and dignity.
This Mother’s Day should also be a moment of accountability. Leaders in Siaya County must invest more in maternal healthcare infrastructure, fully implement the Siaya RMNCAH Act 2024, and strengthen partnerships with grassroots organizations working directly with communities. Nationally, Kenya must prioritize policies that protect reproductive autonomy and guarantee access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including post-abortion care delivered without stigma or discrimination.
A country cannot claim to value mothers while failing to protect their health, rights, and economic well-being. Appreciation without action changes nothing. Flowers wilt after a few days, but strong health systems, economic opportunities, and social protections can transform generations.
At RHARK, we see every day how empowered mothers build stronger families and healthier communities. They are not just caregivers. They are the backbone of society.
This Mother’s Day, Kenya must move beyond applause and symbolic praise. The country must choose action, investment, and justice for mothers everywhere.
The author is a program manager at RHARK