How we got to this place… my story
My mother was my rock, my guide through life, my best friend and of course my loving mother. My mother, Doris was the quintessential lady with a thirst for knowledge, a curiosity about life and an innate responsibility to be of service to the world. Her goal was to ensure her daughters grew up to be strong, confident and educated women that could forge a succes
sful happy life whilst securing independence and be responsible citizens of the world. Due to not having access to the same opportunities as a young girl in South Africa, it was important to Doris that we grew up understanding the importance of education. Once you have an education, no one can take that away from you. Tragically in 2002, she was killed in a car accident. It shattered my world and left me grappling with this loss for the larger part of my adulthood. Without my anchor, I felt alone and for the first few years struggled to find my place on this planet. Over time, and due to the resilience my mother instilled in me, I built up my world to become a successful lawyer, entrepreneur, mother and citizen of the world. One aspect that I lacked was strong mentors along the way, as I faced the world alone. What I had were the values that my mother taught me. With these values and vision to succeed, I reached my goals. That journey never ends though. In 2012, before I started my business, I wanted to give back, so I approached a few charities to offer help but was met with calls for funds rather than a need for my time. This got me thinking as I stood on a beach in Thailand... perhaps I could start my own little community of like-minded young women who needed some moral support, some direction and a bag of skills to support them along the way. And since my mother fostered this sense of empowerment in me, I decided that I wanted to dedicate this effort to her and in her name to enshrine her memory for the betterment of humankind. The symbol of the daffodil, besides being my mother, Doris' favourite flower, is a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings. Therefore, every person whose life is affected by the organisation will have the opportunity for a rebirth – a chance to have a RENEWED life. So here we are... a community of (mostly) women working towards empowering humanity through efforts of growing self-confidence, reaching for economic independence and sharing this wealth of knowledge with our communities. Who we are:
Daffodils for Doris is a UK registered charity that empowers working women in developing and emerging economies. We believe that women have substantial unmet potential: to be more successful; to be more economically empowered, to be happier. We also believe that more empowered women can in turn bring about wider positive changes to the communities and countries in which they live. Our community-led approach focuses on mentoring young women by utilising a global platform of successful career women coming from a myriad of sectors. The mentors would impart life skills, share personal experiences, empower the mentees with resources and teaching these aspiring women to thrive. These mentees will in turn join a growing community of resilient, revitalised empowered women. The purpose of the mentoring is to build confidence and provide moral support as these successful women foster their way through life and in return give back to their communities.
