Poor Mothers and Begging: How Impoverished Ethiopian Women Support Their Children in the Absence of a Strong State Welfare System

Despite various efforts to achieve women’s empowerment, many women in developing nations still face desperate situations. In countries where social welfare services for the poor do not exist, mothers are expected support their children by any means possible, including begging. This is case Ethiopia, mothers, especially urban areas, engage begging families. To learn more about lived experiences of these we conducted qualitative interviews with 17 mother beggars who were identified through purposive sampling. From interviews, following themes: as a better option; solution crisis; family identity; and challenges Children considered assets well burdens beggars, believed that money could be made using children, while acknowledging stress looking after when Understanding realities situations can help determine suitable responses needs raising absence strong state systems.