In these times, when even two parent families are barely able to survive, it has become very difficult for single mothers to make ends meet. A single mother not only faces financial problems, but experiences a lot of emotional turmoil too as she has to be both a father and a mother to her children. Working and bringing up children alone can cause a lot of mental stress to a woman. Looking at all these problems of single parenting, the government, non profit institutions and certain schools/colleges have come up with some single mother assistance programs, so that some of the financial burden on them can be eased and they can concentrate more on the upbringing of their children.