A New Westminster publisher has found a way to honour Canadian moms this Mother's Day, while helping women in the Third World.
Lynn Duncan's company, Vivalogue Publishing, is producing the book, Because You're My Mother, which will combine contributions about mothers in Canada with stories about mothers in Tanzania. Those who want to honour their own moms can purchase pages in the book and use them to pay tribute to their mothers, with their photos and words.
"Just about everybody I know has no idea what to buy for Mother's Day, and everybody feels they want to do something," said Duncan, a New Westminster resident and co-founder of Vivalogue. "Unlike Christmas, it just seems like this is a pocket of money that people are dying to spend. They just have no idea what to spend it on."
This idea is a meaningful way to honour your mother, but more importantly, it helps your mother "nurture" another generation somewhere else in the world, Duncan said.
"Maternal and child health is a huge issue in Tanzania, and there are a whole bunch of reasons for that. But a lot of it is just access to care," she said.
The Mother's Day project falls under Plan Canada's Because I am a Girl campaign. It focuses on female issues, which can have a huge ripple effect on developing countries.
"There's a huge multiplier effect by dealing with educating and supporting girls and women, in terms of societies in general," said Duncan, whose small publishing house helps people get their story, be it a memoir or fiction, published.
A single black-and-white page costs $50, and that can include any combination of text and photos. A two-page spread with full colour is $115. Pages can be purchased through Vivalogue's website. Stories and photos are also contributed through the website, which features tips and suggestions. The cost to purchase a page includes a copy of the book.
Duncan's company is being contracted by Plan Canada. Of the $50 per page, $20 net proceeds go to Plan Canada's Tanzania project, and the remaining $30 go toward the cost of the printing and Duncan's fees. There's a tax receipt for a portion of the cost, and the government will match the donation seven to one.
The deadline is tight. Vivalogue Publishing is accepting stories and photos for the book until April 16. The book can be sent either to you or your mother and will arrive before Mother's Day on Sunday, May 13.
For more information, visit www.vivalogue.ca.
