Amy is helping prisoners learn to read and write

Prisons in the Democratic Republic of Congo are desperate places. There is no healthcare, hygiene is poor and overcrowding means sanitation facilities are limited. Many prisoners are arrested for minor offences but will wait years for a trial.

Amy and her fellow Mothers Union members knew they had to do something. They started to cook for the prisoners who often go without food, meaning starvation is a real threat.

But they soon realised that a longer term solution was needed. Now they help prisoners learn to read and write, and teach them skills such as bread making and gardening. When the prisoners are released they will not have to turn to crime again. They will now be able to make a life for themselves and their families.

Mothers Union - reaching out to the overlooked and marginalised, and showing them that we care.

Breaking the taboo of gender-based violence in communities like Eric's

Eric's mother had suffered years of abuse from his father. As a result she developed a mental illness and ran away. In Burundi gender-based violence is considered taboo and Eric didn't know where to turn for help.

A Mothers Union awareness raising campaign motivated him to tell them of his mother's situation. They helped trace her and provide care during her recovery.

Mothers Union - helping people speak out against gender-based violence and supporting survivors.

Helping people like Erneste to pass on their new found learning

For Erneste, from Burundi, learning to read and write with Mothers Union was the key to working his way out of poverty, giving him a voice in his community and access to vital services. Now, when his child is sick, he can read the prescription and give the medicine at the correct time. He and his wife now make a budget for the family so their money goes further.

Since learning to read and write, Erneste has been empowered to make a valuable contribution to his local community. He has been chosen as a church leader, speaking up for those facing difficulty. And he now facilitates literacy groups himself, helping more people learn to read and write.

Mothers Union - offering those marginalised by poverty and illiteracy a chance to be included in their community.

Turning one chicken into a successful poultry business for people like Francis

Francis, from Uganda, is very elderly and has never been able to find permanent work. Every year his large family feared that the harvest would fail and they would have no food. Then Francis got sick and ended up bedridden.

In their time of need Francis and Annet received training from Mothers Union that has helped them prosper. Thanks to the training they saw the opportunity to use just one chicken to start a poultry business.

Since breeding the chickens they have been able to buy pigs, providing them with plenty of meat and eggs to eat. They even have enough to sell so they can afford to send their grandchildren to school, giving them an opportunity for a better future.

Mothers Union - ensuring more families never go hungry again.

Bringing renewed hope and comfort to widows like Imelda

Widowed during the genocide in Rwanda, Imelda brought up her children in the face of abject poverty. As each child grew they moved to the city to find jobs, leaving her elderly, alone and destitute.

By joining one of our savings groups she saved what little money she had, earned interest on it and took a small loan from the collective savings to make her home comfortable. Others use their savings to start businesses and make a stable income for their families.

Mothers Union - Empowering thousands to overcome poverty each year.

Jeanette is helping children escape abuse

Based in Papua New Guinea, Jeanette Oala is well known in the community as the Mothers' Union community worker. She helped Sexual Health Unity for the Eastern Highlands Province rescue two teenage girls who had been sexually abused.

Jeanette not only provided secure overnight accommodation, she also organised safe passage to the airport and their flights home to their families.

Mothers Union - helping more children escape a life of exploitation and abuse.

Helping parents like Jim and Kate find confidence in raising their children

As a parent it can make all the difference to know that others face the same stresses and strains, and be given an opportunity to talk about them in a supportive environment.

Jim and Kate both experienced difficult childhoods with little in the way of good parenting role models to draw on when bringing up their own children. Social Services had to get involved, who referred Jim and Kate to a Mothers' Union parenting group.

Through the group, Jim and Kate learnt how to listen more to their children, show them love, and support them on their journey to adulthood.

Mothers Union - helping parents like Jim and Kate strengthen family relationships and resolve issues before they have a wider impact on society.

Helping parents like Jonathan and Blandine provide safe, comfortable homes for their children

Jonathan and Blandine are from Zambia. Life for their six children was very chaotic. Jonathan's alcohol addiction meant that the little money they had often went on beer instead of food. The leaking roof in their small mud house meant it was virtually uninhabitable and there was no money to fix it. In such a bleak situation, their eldest children were turning to alcohol too.

With support from Mothers Union, Jonathan eventually stopped drinking and smoking, giving him time to focus on the family.

Jonathan and Blandine received training to make mud bricks and improve their farming techniques. They have been able to build a new house with a roof that doesn't leak. They now sell bricks and crops to pay for their children's school fees, offering them the opportunity of a great future.

Mothers Union - freeing families from the bonds of poverty.

Helping people like Marie Claire learn skills to provide for her family and community

Marie Claire, from Rwanda, lost her mother at 18 and had to bring up her six siblings. Mothers Union were there for her during this difficult time and taught Marie Claire craft-making skills which she now uses to earn money for her family. Marie Claire has also set up a workshop to pass on her skills to orphaned children.

Mothers Union - helping people start businesses so they can earn a living for their family.

Opening up a world of opportunities for people like Ragaya

As an illiterate woman in South Sudan, Ragaya Abusanab faced constant marginalisation and no chance to contribute to her community or improve life for her family. Many in her position face the frequent threat of violence from their husbands.

With Mothers Union's help, Ragaya has learnt to read and write, and set up her own local business. The money from this venture not only enabled Ragaya to provide for her family, but she and her husband now work together to make decisions. Ragaya also went on to do something that is an inspiring example of what literacy can help women achieve - she went to theological college and is now a leader in her church and wider community.

Together we can bring a Summer of Hope - helping women improve their reading, writing and numeracy so that they can achieve anything.

Giving communities like Rosie's a better harvest

Rosie lives in an area of Tanzania where many people are trapped in poverty. Growing food is such a struggle that farmers are often forced to sell their land, but this only provides a short-term solution.

Rosie's community learnt how to grow crops using manure instead of nutrient-sapping fertilisers. They sold their produce and saved money collectively, ensuring everyone received a regular income.

Mothers Union work to ensure farmers won't have to sell their land, households will have money to pay for their children's schooling and the younger generation won't have to leave to find work. Communities will be revitalised.

Supporting families like Sally's through the tough times

Sometimes the complexities of life - things like marriage breakdown, money worries, illness - can take over, pushing families to breaking point.

Sally's* youngest son found the separation of his parents particularly tough, often expressing this violently. Even though Sally works, financial struggles were really taking their toll on the family. She was at her wits' end.

"Thank you for our first ever holiday. It was overwhelming to see my son smile for the first time in a long time."

*Name changed to protect identity

Mothers Union - helping families spend some quality time together and restore relationships.

Helping mums like Shirley protect their children from the temptations and dangers of gang culture

By her own admission Shirley, from Jamaica, did not have a very good relationship with any of her seven children. Then she lost her eldest son to gun crime. She was devastated.

Joining a Mothers' Union parenting group helped her find support in a non-judgemental environment. She learned new ways to love and care for her children and really communicate with them - building a bond that they had never experienced before.

She believes that if she had joined the group earlier her son would still be here today:

"I would have known how to protect him as a mother should. But I have learnt to reach out to my other children and be there for them. Thanks to Mothers Union I know their lives will be different."

Mothers Union - helping parents support their children through the difficult journey of growing up.

Supporting families like Steph's living under immense pressure

Steph, a young single mother from the UK, is too terrified to find work having recently come out of an abusive relationship. Her children's father left but he continued to threaten them, repeatedly breaking into the family home.

The last time this happened he was arrested but everything became too much for Steph and her children to cope with on their own.

So some Mothers' Union members gave them the opportunity to get some breathing-space with a day at the beach. It's amazing how something so simple can have such a big impact.

Mothers Union - giving families the chance to start healing with support and quality time spent together.

Susana is learning new parenting skills

Western values are eroding the traditions of the indigenous North Argentinean communities that Susana is a part of.

It's changing the way the younger generation behave, which is leaving parents at a loss as to how to bring up their children. They don't know how to relate to them as their once shared values and way of life are disappearing.

Mothers Union - helping parents like Susana respond to this transition and reconnect with their children.

Helping men like Tomás change the way they treat their wives

Tomás is from the Potaro region in Guyana and is married with 10 children. He found it impossible to find full-time work and after years of frustration he eventually developed a drinking habit. Every time he came home drunk he would argue with his wife and often beat her.

But a Mothers Union community meeting helped him learn about the harm domestic violence does to families. He was so touched by what he learnt that he confessed what he was doing was wrong and asked the group to help him change.

Today he's more caring towards his family and has found work so he can provide food for his family.

Mothers Union - challenging traditional views that gender-based violence is acceptable.

Helping mums like Violet give their children a future

Unable to find work, Violet and her family lived a hand to mouth existence in Zambia. In years of poor harvest, they simply starved. It's hard to imagine the daily heartbreak of struggling to raise a family while never knowing where their next meal might come from.

With Mothers' Union she learnt how to plant pumpkins for her family to eat, and how to dry the leaves to sell. With this income she started a small baking business, earning enough to send her children to school.

No longer fearing hunger and with her children realising their potential, Violet feels confident and proud about her family's future.

Mothers Union - teaching business skills to women so they can make a stable income.