India (MNN) — Durga, a teenager living in rural India, should be facing a future of poverty and oppression, just like the one she grew up in. Instead, Durga can be excited about what lies ahead.
“Durga’s doing really well. She’s doing really well in school because people helped; people have made a difference,” explains Donna Glass of India Partners.
Young girls in urban India may be privileged enough to go to school, but education is frequently denied to girls in rural India. The pennies that parents work so hard to earn are usually spent on food and shelter. If there’s anything left over, it goes to educate sons, not daughters.
This reality leaves young girls like Durga with very few options as they plan for their future. Many are sold by their parents as child brides; others fall victim to forced labor or prostitution. This is the reality faced by millions of girls in India.
India Partners wants to change this reality. They’re working towards an India rich in hope, justice, and compassion.
Durga received all she needs to learn.
(Header and story photo, caption courtesy India Partners)
Through individual sponsorship and their Orphan Education Project, India Partners is providing a quality education to poor or orphaned children in India.
Poor and orphaned children are often marginalized because of their low caste. They don’t have money to attend school, let alone afford basic school supplies. But, with a good education, these kids will have an opportunity to succeed. They’ll be able to pursue careers and contribute back to their communities.
Older students who have been helped through this project have moved on to pursue higher education. They now enjoy careers in teaching, nursing, counseling, computers, and various trades.
Thanks to the support of her sponsors, Durga is able to attend school and excel in her studies. She wrote the following in a recent letter to India Partners:
“I am so happy I get to go to school. I have great encouragement and I wish to study well and utilize this great opportunity I have. Even many of my friends have no privilege to have all these supplies. This year I want to achieve good grades in my class. Eventually, I would like to become a beautician or teacher.”
You can help kids like Durga change their perspective on the future.
“One person can’t do it all, but each person makes a difference,” notes Glass. “It’s like the drop in the ocean. The ocean isn’t complete without each drop in it.”
A one-time gift of $30 is enough to keep a student like Durga supplied for the entire year. Visit India Partners’ website to give online.
