humansofnewyork:“Several years ago my father used our house for collateral on a business loan. When
humansofnewyork:“Several years ago my father used our house for collateral on a business loan. When things fell apart, we lost everything. My dad got depressed and fell sick. My mother was backed into a corner. She had four young children but no income. At the time she was a very feminine housewife. But she asked our neighbors to teach her how to farm. Then she convinced our landlord to let her plant an empty field. He told her, ‘If you can make it yield anything, we’ll split the profits.’ It didn’t succeed right away. There were a lot of pests. Some of the crops dried out. But my mother harvested whatever was left, and it was enough to support our family. She cut off her hair during this time. She got very muscular. She worked all day in the fields but still found time to make sure we went to school. If my brothers and I ever started crying, she’d tell us: ‘If I’m strong enough to do this, you’re strong enough to go to school.’” (Jakarta, Indonesia) -- source link