Rakhi recently represented World Vision India in the World Vision’s Regional conference under the theme: too young to marry. But in her village in Siliguri, she is known for all the wrong reasons. Rakhi has been verbally abused and ridiculed…
Vaccinating a community against COVID-19
“We were afraid of taking the vaccine because the villagers said vaccinated people die in a couple of years,” said Sevaju, a 65-year-old daily wage labourer. In Dangs, Gujarat, Sevaju, and most of his community members were reluctant to…
Education is her strength
With new clothes, a new pair of footwear, a brand new watch, a bag, and a broad smile, Sangeetha remembers her proud walk from her house to catch the bus for her first day of college. She had never dressed…
Left Alone, Children Lose their Safety Net
There is a numbing silence inside their little hut in North India’s Uttar Pradesh, as 15-year-old Preeti* does her best to hold back tears recollecting memories of her parents being around and looking after them. She’s mixing a bowl of rice with whatever is left at home for her two little sisters, Tanya* (11) and Anya* (8). The three…
How period poverty ends in Tania’s village
With her palm tightly holding onto the handlebar, one feet on the brake and the other on the clutch, 18-year-old Tania takes off on her brother’s motor-bike to buy some stuff for home. She may be on her monthly period,…
Children Fight against all Odds to Save their Father
Anjali, 26, waited helplessly as her father Suresh Singh Yadav, 52, struggled for breath. Krishna, 18, had gone to buy an oxygen tank and Akash, 24, who drives an Uber taxi was on duty, to support the family. At home,…
Kitchen Gardens Become Food Security during the Pandemic
Hale and hearty 3-year-old Avinash runs cheerfully around the lush greenery surrounding his small one-room house in Lowairpoa, Assam. When he was 18-months-old, Avinash would hardly sit-up, crawl or even attempt to walk. In a health screening conducted during that time, it was found that he…
A little change, a little progress – a better future
“I love spending time with friends at school. I get to learn a lot from them. Earlier, we hardly had time to be together because most of us were irregular to school. But now, we get to spend the whole…
Beyond their dreams
The pandemic and lockdown have disrupted the course of our lives. For lakhs of people, the year was a massive blow to their finances and future. The most vulnerable families were the worst affected. The lack of an income put…
Clean Water Empowers Communities
In the middle of the day, 16-year-old Mumta walks back with a pot on her head after collecting water from a newly installed water point near her house. Her life has changed drastically in a couple of months. She was…