The mom, who relies on the goodwill of her community and government assistance, says she’ll continue adding to her tribe until her “body doesn’t allow it.”
A day in Martha’s home is anything but quiet. The 40-year-old woman has 20 children squeezed into shared rooms – the eldest on the couch – of her three-bedroom home in Medellín, Colombia.
According to reports, the monthly cost of living for a family of four is roughly $2,200 US, and with such a large family, Martha needs about $11,000 – not including her expenses – to care for her family, every month.
Speaking with the Sun, the woman revealed that it’s “challenging,” and that she sometimes “struggles to provide adequate meals for everyone on a limited budget.”
Despite her financial difficulties, the resourceful mother explains she’s still inspired by the financial assistance she receives from the government to continue growing her family.
“The truth is, as the government helps me for each child, I receive a little money for each one,” she told the Daily Mail in January 2024, when she was still pregnant with her 20th baby.
According to the mom, who has 17 children under 18, the older kids fetch about $76 each, while the younger ones bank approximately $30.50.
In total, the state affords her less than $600 US every month.
“I see being a mom like a business, practically,” said Martha, adding that as the older children leave the home, she has to add to her brood for more financial government support.
In addition, the woman gets assistance from the local church and her neighbors, as the 20 different fathers of her children are absent, and “irresponsible,” she says.
Martha, who confessed she does not know who fathered her youngest child, said she’ll continue having “kids until my body doesn’t allow it.”
