In the final months of the financial year, we told the story of Laboni, who grew up in a tribal village in remote West Bengal, India.
It’s a place where education is out of reach for many because families are too poor to invest in it. Children grow up to help in the household or in the fields as soon as they are able; girls are married off young.
Our church partner, the Church of North India – Diocese of Durgapur, supported Laboni’s education, and she became the first in her family to ever finish school. Today she’s pursuing her dreams: working on a university degree and hoping to return to her community as a teacher to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.
“The girls of my village [now] see me, and they and they are encouraged to study. I’ll tell them to go further!” says Laboni.
“I would urge every girl to stand on her own feet. We girls can participate in the development of our family, society and village.”
The impacts of our partner’s education support won’t stay with Laboni and her peers but will be felt for generations to come…
THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our End of Financial Year Appeal to enable our partners to give opportunities for people to live whole and hopeful lives, as God intended.
Together we raised $496,000, an incredible result! It will be combined with funding we can access from the Australian Government, which will help us make an even bigger impact on poverty and injustice in our world.
Here’s some more of the change you’ve helped create!
Just 20 years old, Simran is a tailor earning an income of around AUD$91 a month. The job represents a huge change for her whole family – and not just materially. Simran’s three elder sisters are all married, and Simran says her parents had been preoccupied with seeing her wed. Simran met a Community Facilitator from the Diocese of Durgapur, who encouraged her to undertake training at their Stitching and Tailoring Centre. Her training allowed her to secure her first job as a tailor. “Initially, my father discouraged me from taking up the tailoring job thinking that it might not look good for our family,” Simran says. “But he has since changed his perspective.” |
Back in 2013, Sahadi’s family lived off what they could grow on a small patch of land – paddy, mustard and vegetables. Then Sahadi joined a Self-Help Group established by UnitingWorld’s partner in Durgapur. Within a year, she had received, as an investment from the group, a single goat and livestock breeding training – a huge opportunity she was eager to make the most of! When food and water are scarce, it’s no small task to keep a goat alive and successfully breed it. But Sahadi was incredibly determined and over the past ten years she has increased her goat flock to 15! Already this year, she has sold seven goats and added an extra AUD$551 to the family income. Her entrepreneurial spirit on fire, Sahadi also invested in three cows – one for domestic use, the others for sale at market bringing in an additional AUD$147. |
When a submersible water pump arrived in his village, courtesy of UnitingWorld partners in Durgapur, Dinanath Mahar was delighted. He’d watched his parents struggle as the land was so difficult to farm without irrigation. And now – WATER! Dinanath underwent training with the Community Development Program and began cultivating crops, including sesame, mustard, paddy, and potatoes. The outcome? An additional AUD$991 per year. The family invested the money back into their farm, buying a second-hand power tiller and a motorcycle to move around the property. For the first time, they could afford better health care and education. Dinanath’s granddaughter was born in a private health care facility, the first in her family with this start in life. Dinanath’s daughter-in-law, observing how effective the program was, joined also and is now breeding goats, bringing yet more income. |