The girl holding the baby in this picture was 21 years old when the photo was taken. She began working straight out of secondary school at 17, got married at 20 and had her first child not long after.

She started out as a bank clerk and with only a secondary school certificate under her belt, it seemed highly unlikely she was going very far in life.

Although she was capable, intelligent and a very talented sportswoman, her father, despite being relatively progressive and modern in his outlook as far as his generation was concerned, still believed it was better for girls to be married off and for them to settle down early in life.

At 25, she had two children under the age of four and was essentially a single mother as her husband was away frequently. Their marriage had also started to disintegrate and although he always contributed financially and was a good father, she did the lion’s share of caring for and raising her daughters on her own, all whilst working full-time in a demanding industry.

As hard as it was to bear such a heavy burden, especially at such a young age, she never allowed it to affect her. She simply kept going and did what she needed to do, no matter how difficult the circumstances were.

In order to move out from living with her in-laws and give herself and her children a more conducive environment, she had to make many difficult sacrifices, but she did anyway in order to try and pursue a better future for them and herself.

She worked tirelessly in every aspect of her life and slowly but surely her efforts began to pay off.

Despite starting out at a very low level in an international bank, through hard work and dedication, she quickly rose through the ranks, and just two decades later was heading one of their biggest branches. She would go on to become a key member of their management team.

She became a highly-regarded banker, and well known amongst both her colleagues and her clients, for being dedicated, professional and very successful in that role.

She left the banking industry after reaching her full potential there in order to set up her own training consultancy which has also attracted great success.

She trains both locally and abroad, and receives much recognition for her work from both fellow trainers and participants who attend her programmes. Her commitment to only the highest standards is widely recognised and appreciated.

She has long paid off that first apartment and has since purchased multiple other properties. She is entirely self-sufficient and very generous to family and friends alike. She is charitable and always tries to help others in whatever ways she can, never expecting anything in return.

The girl in the picture is my mum and the baby she is holding is me. I have watched my mother persevere over and over again, not once allowing the many difficult challenges life has thrown at her to ever get in the way of her moving forward.

She has taken the very little she was given and converted it into an amazing life for herself and by extension, my sister and I. Whatever we asked for, she endeavoured to give and whatever we needed, she always found a way to provide. I don’t know when she found time to eat, sleep or rest but we were both always well cared for, looked after and given amazing opportunities.

I owe so much of my independence, strength and fortitude to my mother, as I grew up watching her embody those very traits especially in situations where it would have been immensely difficult for her to do so.

Her unyielding determination and tenacity in pursuing a better life and a brighter future, paved the way for my sister and I to realise our own dreams and build good lives for ourselves.

Her many successes and achievements in life taught us repeatedly that it was possible to turn adversity and hardship around and to harness them as motivation to move forward instead of using them as excuses to remain downtrodden.

My mother has always held the belief that whatever she wanted to achieve was possible and whatever she needed to do could be done, whether it was learning how to swim and overcoming her fear of water in her 50s or walking away from a difficult marriage despite the far-reaching consequences of doing so.

At many points in her life, my mother was told she couldn’t but she proved time and time again that she indeed could.

This International Women’s Day, I would like to pay tribute to my mother and all the other strong, courageous and capable women who just like this year’s theme, continue to be ‘bold for change’.

In breaking barriers, meeting challenges head-on, questioning limitations and stepping up and standing out, especially in difficult circumstances, these women continue to empower and inspire others to reach their full potential and live their best lives.

Gayatri Unsworth is an FMT columnist.

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