Lè w pa gen manman, ou tete grann.

An English translation would be "When you do not have your mother, your grandmother feeds you."

Maternal mortality is a legitimate concern in Haiti because, historically, it is not uncommon for
mothers to die as a result of childbirth.

Afterwards, grandparents are often the ones to take over the care of the newborn.

In such cases, a grandmother can take some kind of medication - natural or artificial - so that she can have milk to feed the baby - even though she is old, even though she is not the mother of the baby.

This is done because there is no other choice. The baby needs the grandmother to survive.

Haitians say this proverb when they do not have the right tools, ingredients, materials, means, or resources to do what they must do, when they have to use what is available to solve a problem or to meet a situation.

We will not always find what we think we need to solve a problem or face a situation. But we must remember to use what we have, what is available.

As we are doing so, Haitians often say: "Lè w pa gen manman, ou tete grann" to answer the people who might judge or criticize.