A one and a half-kilometre walk, a ten-kilometre ride on a local bus, a little more walking and hours of rigorous training – this is what it took 17-year-old Richa and 19-year-old Prithima, from an underprivileged family in Guwahati, to…
Reviving lost dreams
19-year-old Aishwarya always had it rough. Her father passed away in the year 2007. Her mother had to toil to provide for the family. Unfortunately, she also succumbed to cancer in 2018. Losing parents at an age where you are still dependent…
Making train travel safer in Mumbai
It is seven in the evening. A crowded local train pulls up at a busy station in Mumbai. Several people get down, but an equal number (if not more) get in. As the train begins to depart, a man runs…
Overcoming Poverty with a Little Help
Himnakulhpui, aged 14, and his sister Lalraupuii walk home with buckets of water and empty it in a tank just outside the house. It is still early in the morning and their mother Lalbiaki prepares breakfast for the family of…
Self-Defence: She is ‘No Less’
A one-and-a-half kilometre walk, a ten-kilometre ride on a local bus, a little more walking and hours of rigorous training – this is what it took 17-year-old Richa and 19-year-old Prithima, from an underprivileged family in Guwahati to become national-level…
From a child bride to an advocate against child marriage
Dawn just broke in and the skies began to turn bright. My mother, rather hurriedly, woke me up saying, “Anuradha! Wake up! You need to do a lot of chores and get ready”. While my body quickly retaliated from waking…
Bestowed a Second Chance
For forty-year-old Sarita, falling asleep with hunger bouts is the smallest sacrifice she has made to ensure her children go to school and lay the foundation to a bright future. Sometimes, she stays awake whole nights and makes footballs or…
Weaving a Future
This is a remarkable story of three ordinary women in Assam. Way back in 1990s, when World Vison India was serving the Amri Karbi community in Assam, we provided economic assistance to twelve deserving women. Ten years later, in 2000,…
Cyclone Fani: World Vision India’s Response
“We were on the highway between Puri and Bhubaneswar, when the eye of Cyclone Fani passed by. As the vehicle swayed to the weight of the wind, I couldn’t help but think that it would flip and be carried with the wind. On one occasion the vehicle was hit by a…
From children’s club leaders to responsible adults
Ibtasan, Arshi, Farzana and Rafique grew up in an impoverished pocket of South Kolkata. Their houses are small rectangular boxes, just enough to fit one bed. Families dine and sleep in a one room house. But that has not deterred…