Mother’s Day Special: From stay-at-home-mum to work-at-home-mum

How tech-savvy mothers in conservative cultures are empowered today to work from home and support their families

Giving up a fulfilling career to care for a newborn or to raise a family sometimes may seem like the only viable option for mothers especially those living in deeply conservative parts of the world.

In today’s flourishing gig economy, however, more and more of such stay-at-home-mums are harnessing the power of the Internet and breaking barriers to build independence and make a living from home.

From the lack of adequate childcare to cultural expectations and extreme commutes, every mother featured here has a story to share about joining MomoCentral as a talent and achieving work-life balance working as a freelance software developer.

Slowly but surely, empowered mothers are redefining the future of stay-at-home mums in conservative cultures — all thanks to gig opportunities and the rise of on-demand talent platforms like MomoCentral.

This Mother’s Day, let’s hear it from these inspiring gig-a-mums, AND a shout-out to all the mums in our lives who care for us, hold us up and cheer us on with their unconditional love!

Chathuri Karunarathne, Sri Lankan

Please share a little background of what you do.
I am a graduate from a major university (University of Moratuwa) in Sri Lanka and majored in Computer Science and Engineering. I have worked for two major software companies in Sri Lanka after graduation and I am currently working as a freelance software developer. And I am a mum of a three years old mischievous boy. :)

Why software development. How did you get started?
I am passionate about it. After being selected into [the University| Computer Science Department, I was eager to learn the concepts and pursue software development as my career.

Why did you decide to join the freelance marketplace?
For five years when I was working [full time] in Sri Lanka, all the travelling and managing of my personal life became somewhat difficult for me as I live far away from the city where all the software companies are located. In this industry, we often can’t get off work on time due to deadlines or major bugs. So when I was expecting my child, I decided to explore the flexibility of working as a freelancer. I was lucky to learn about MomoCentral from my friend.

How has this freelance online work arrangement benefitted you and your family?

As a freelancer, I am able to work on different technologies, platforms and learn on the job as I work with different sets of clients. I am now able to find a balance between work and family. There are no more long hours of travelling and my time is better spent playing with my child and that is a treasure.

Neelam Shehzadi, Pakistani,

Please share a little background of what you do.
I am currently living in Bangkok, Thailand. I have around 7 years of development experience. During these years, I have been working with iOS ( Objective-C & Swift ) Developer. I also have knowledge about other languages like PHP, WordPress, React Native, HTML and CSS etc.

Why software development. How did you get started?
I am passionate about softwares and software development. After graduating in computer science. I pursued my passion towards a professional life. It is fun to code.

Why did you decide to join the freelance marketplace?
Working in a conventional environment, where you have to go to office, makes life a bit difficult to manage. On the other hand freelancing gives you relief and you can work from your own home. I have been working as a freelancer with MomoCentral for the last 5 years, and i am satisfied with my work.

How has this freelance online work arrangement benefitted you and your family?
It is easy to work from home rather then going to and coming from a workplace, which burns valuable time while on the road. Freelancing also gives the flexibility to manage and give time to family.

Sonali Mendis, 31, Sri Lankan

Please share a little background of what you do.

I have a two-and-a-half-years-old daughter and I have been working from home since she was one-and-a-half years old. I have a BSc. degree in Engineering and specialised in computer science. I was working for almost 7 years in the industry before I started freelancing.

Why software development. How did you get started?
I love making things as a kid and in this field we fix problems on daily basis. It’s challenging yet satisfying.

Why did you decide to join the freelance marketplace?
A few of my friends from school started working as freelancers after giving birth. At that time, I was returning to my work after an eight-month-long maternity leave. It was very hard for both my baby and me. I spoke to my friends, and they told me about MomoCentral.

How has this freelance online work arrangement benefitted you and your family?
I have tried a few other freelancing platforms but I choose to stay with MomoCentral because I get to communicate directly with the talent manager, and that’s important for me.

Life is a lot easier for all of us in my family because of my freelance work arrangement. My daughter is very close to me. Even though a care taker is present to take care of her during my work hours, she knows I’m there for her whenever she needs me. The times that people spent mingling with other workers at work, I get to spend with my daughter. No time is lost on the roads [travelling]. We get competitive wages as well. For me, the most important thing in my life is my family, and freelancing allows me to find a work-life balance without being dependent on others. So this arrangement works out pretty well for me.

Anupama Mirihana, Sri Lanka

Please share a little background of what you do.
I am a happy mum and a professional working from home focusing on software development projects. I am well-experienced in Laravel, php, javascript and frontend technologies. I am very interested reading , hiking and classical music.

Why software development. How did you get started?
Well, I was schooling in a decade where technology was beginning to change the world and our lives and that got me curious about computers. I decided to do my higher studies in BSc Hons in Information Technology from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka.

Why did you decide to join the freelance marketplace?
Many tech companies in Sri Lanka are located in the Colombo city. I was working in reputed IT companies for more than 6 years and it was never an issue for me to travel from home — about 80km away from the city — to work until I became a mother.

With all the traffic jams, it takes me a total of five hours travelling to and from work. I hardly have time to spend with my family. I started searching for companies that would allow working from home. My friend, who works at MomoCentral, informed me about this talent platform.

How has this freelance online work arrangement benefitted you and your family?
After joining the MomoCentral, I save 5 hours every day. I can spend the time with my family and develop my career as well. I have flexibility on my schedule instead of having to stick to a strict routine. As a mother and a professional, I am happy, my family is happy, and I am able to earn a living to support my family.