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International Day of the Girl 2019

Today is International Day of the Girl. Here at The Hunger Project, we’re celebrating the unscripted and unstoppable girls who are ending hunger around the world.

Meet Bonani

In the Bagherhat District of Bangladesh, Bonani is a young girl who attends high school. 

In many parts of Bangladesh, girls are denied an education. Continuing beyond primary school to high school is limited to those families who can afford it. Many families like Bonani’s often make a choice between sending their girls to school or marrying them off at a young age. Early marriage is often seen as the right decision. As a result, many girls are pulled out of school and never return.   

Even for those girls like Bonani, who do get to continue their studies, there are other barriers. Where Bonani lives, there were no toilets at schools for girls to use. This meant that she would have to stay home when she was menstruating. At other times she developed bladder issues from not being able to use a toilet all day at school. Because of this, she missed one week per month of schooling. 

“Boys get many advantages, why not girls? We are all created equal. Girls need more support when they go through physical and mental changes,” Bonani says. 

 The Hunger Project runs programs such as Safe Schools for Girls in rural communities in Bangladesh. Safe Schools for Girls increases girls’ attendance in school including by getting toilets for girls installed. To date, more than 30,000 students have participated in the program.  

“I joined a group in my school because I like to learn things and spread awareness among others. I like social activities such as dancing and acting, and I also learned that girls like me could have a say. So now I advocate for girls’ toilets and changerooms to be installed in schools, and for boys to stop harassing girls, especially on the way to and from school.”  

Today, Bonani is a proud advocate for getting girls’ toilets installed in local schools. She is also an active member of her school community, advocating to stop harassment and child marriage and encouraging her peers to stay in school.   

“It would be better to get married at 30, after getting an education and a job. I like to help other people and society. In the future I want to serve my country through social work or becoming a doctor,” she says. 

Donate to programs like Safe Schools for Girls here.

Meet Razia: Protesting Child Marriage

In Bangladesh, boys are typically valued more than girls. Girls are often pulled out of school at a young age to be married off. They aren’t able to earn an income for themselves or have a say in family decisions. They are made to look after their siblings and families, do the household chores and other manual labour instead.  

After being forced to marry at 15 years old (three years before the legal age of 18), Razia was denied an education and was forced to stay at home and provide for her new husband and start a family. No one protested her marriage. Like other girls her age who were being married, Razia soon gave birth to a boy and a girl.   

“I thought child marriage was my fate,” she says. 

She couldn’t see a way to break out of the cycle of poverty and stop her own daughter from becoming a victim of child marriage just like she had been. 

The Hunger Project runs programs such as Women’s Leadership Workshops in rural communities in Bangladesh. These workshops empower women with knowledge and skills they can use to develop their own businesses to transform their situation, lift their families out of poverty, and enable other women in their village to do the same

After receiving training from The Hunger Project, Razia began a new enterprise from home — sewing — which has brought in an income. She also started a women’s self-help group to help other women save money to reinvest in their families on important things like education.  

Razia now works from home earning her own income. As she earned more income, her confidence grew. She looked to use her newfound influence to shift the perspective on local issues close to her heart, and now protests against child marriage in her village.  

I’ve learned how to raise poultry and livestock and sew. Because of this, I now have enough savings to easily support the health and education of my children. I’ve also been able to send my own daughter to The Hunger Project’s Youth Leadership Training. Now she collaborates with other young people around here to create a harmonious society free from child marriage.  

In addition, I’ve set up my own compost plant to produce organic fertiliser for my home garden. I’ve now encouraged 20 other women in my neighbourhood to set up their own organic compost plants too.” 

The women’s group have written a list of children who have dropped out of school in the village. They are working to support them to return to studying.   

“Now, I work to protest against child marriage and make people aware of its consequences,” Razia says.  

Meet Kaushalya, an elected woman saving the forests in India

Kaushalya is a council President in Uttarakhand. After training with The Hunger Project, she is now leveraging public office to refocus attention on the issue of preserving the forests.  

“In the mountains, forests are a lifeline for women. The wood from the forest is what we use to build our houses and for firewood. The fodder for our cattle also comes from the forest. We formed a collective of 30 women and decided to revive the forest council elections. We look after the forest like our own children.” 

Deforestation and climate change are endangering the forests. Kaushalya passionately speaks about access to forest resources, equity, and justice. She is setting up forest councils to protect the forest for generations to come. This is her story:

Video credit: The Hunger Project India, Black Ticket Films.

Meet the 27 year old fashion designer and entrepreneur from Ghana

Abigail is a 27-year-old entrepreneur from Boti in the eastern region of Ghana. Abigail is a local fashion designer and also the producer of a local soft drink made from a hibiscus plant called Sobolo.

Abigail started her business after she received a microfinance loan from The Hunger Project. She now currently employs 5 people who service customers from 6 different communities around the local THP Epicentre. Abigail’s story has become an inspiration for many in her community.

As a fashion designer, she uses social media to research designs and utilises WhatsApp to connect with customers in the wider community. Her designs can be seen on show in the images below.

It is her dream to expand her businesses to enable her to employ more people in her community.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”6″ gal_title=”Abigail Tei album”]

 

Esme’s vision of becoming a home owner

Esme from Malawi

Esme lives in a small, rural village in Eastern Malawi with her four children. She is a farmer and the sole breadwinner of her family. Esme’s family live in a one-bedroom dung hut – and that’s how she thought it would be for the rest of their lives.

Then, in 2012, everything changed for Esme.

After participating in The Hunger Project’s unique Vision, Commitment, Action workshop, Esme created a vision of building a new, bigger, safer home for her family – a dream so many of us can relate to.

Her first actions towards her vision included applying for a loan through The Hunger Project’s microfinance program and attending training on improved, modern farming techniques.

As a result, she was able to yield more than enough crops from her farm to feed her family and have enough left over to sell so that she could buy bricks for her new home, and pay for schooling for her children.

“My farming is a key source of income as it allows me to support my children’s education. I’m confident that I can send my children to school because I’m a farmer,” Esme said.

It took 3 years, but Esme was persistent, resilient and resolutely committed to her vision. By 2015, she was able to start construction on her new dream home and 2 years later Esme added a tin roof to the house. This tin roof was proof to her and others that she had made it! (Thatched roofs are common but leak in the rainy season). She even saved up enough money to install solar panels on her roof and run a small AM/FM radio through the power. Her dream home was now a reality.

Esme out the front of her home

She didn’t stop there. Not content with her dream home, and being able to feed her family and send her 4 children to school, Esme wanted to develop herself: she decided to get an education. She successfully balanced her farm work, family life and school work to graduate and is now looking to start a career as an accountant. 

“If you work hard in school you can become a professional, and when you are educated you make better decisions,” Esme said.

Now living as a successful, single woman, Esme has had a number of male suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Being an educated, financially independent woman, she has happily refused them all!

“I am grateful to The Hunger Project because I’m able to live free from hunger. My children have gone to school and I am now educated,” she said.

Take action for women like Esme

  1. Share Esme’s story on social media
  2. Join us in Malawi to learn from women like Esme
  3. Support people like Esme with a one-off or monthly donation

 

Meet Sipho from Kachindamoto

Sipho is from the Kachindamoto Epicentre community, Malawi where he lives with his wife and 5 children.

In 2015, Sipho received his first farm input loan from The Hunger Project. He then participated in agriculture training through programs available at the Kachindamoto Epicentre. From this training, Sipho was able to harvest 50 bags of maize and sold 25 of them back to his local community, which returned a profit and enabled him to buy an iron roof for his home.

In 2016, Sipho took out another loan enabling him to harvest 55 bags of maize and sell 30. From this sale, he was able to purchase an ox cart. He now hires out this cart to his local community and it provides him with a regular income. With a regular income, Sipho has found that he no longer needs more loans from The Hunger Project, he now has the skills to grow and harvest maize himself and sustain his income.

Sipho’s goal now is to buy a new motorcycle with the income he earns from farming and hiring out his ox cart.

There are many ways you can support people like Sipho:

Meet Louise

Louise is from a small village in Benin, West Africa. She lives with her six children and her husband, who works the land and grows corn.   

In the past, Louise wasn’t allowed to participate in decision-making, either in her own home or the community – simply for being a woman. Traditional cultural practices meant Louise didn’t have a voice of her own.  

When she participated in The Hunger Project‘s unique Vision, Commitment, Action workshop, Louise saw that she had vision for the future and that she could be the one to turn it into reality. Since then, she has gained confidence in her own capacity and leadership, and has become the leader of a microfinance group within her community. Her opinions, and her voice, are now respected.

Louise runs weekly literacy classes, where they can learn to read and write, preparing the meetings takes a lot of time and she guides those who need extra support individually. Louise feels great joy from seeing the women, and her wider community, develop – which is why she is more than happy to put in the time and work.

“In the VCA workshops I have learned to have more confidence and my whole attitude has changed. I also learned to read and write in the literacy course of the Epicentre. I want to pass on that knowledge.  That is why I also give a group of women a weekly lesson in reading and writing. I would like to accompany all these women to achieve what they want. To realize their dreams…This way we will continue together as a community!”

“Before, my voice wasn’t heard when I brought something up for discussion. Now, I am part of the village council. I bring the local women together around microfinance, and I also share the information I’ve learned about the importance of reading and writing, nutrition and hygiene,” Louise says.  

As a result of leading the small, local microfinance group, she has been able to expand her fruit, corn and peanut businesses to support her family – together with her husband. She now also advises other women on running their small businesses.  

When the microfinance group gathers, Louise also takes the opportunity to educate them on literacy, health and nutrition, so that the whole community flourishes. 

“It gives me a lot of joy when I see the results of my work. For example, many women are now supporting their families financially – and they know how to feed their children nutritious food. That makes me feel good. I will stand by these women to achieve what they want,” she says.  

There are many ways you can partner with people like Louise:

  1. Support with a one-off or monthly gift 
  2. Share Louise’s story on social media and tag The Hunger Project Australia
  3. Read more about our work in Africa

 

Meet Amina

Amina used to live in chronic hunger. She could not see any way out of the repetitive daily struggle to survive. She had no hope for the future.

Her life involved spending days gather wood, walking for hours to collect water, and back-breaking work in the fields to try and grow enough food to feed her family. Every day was the same for Amina.

“My children didn’t go to school. Why would they need to go to school just to work in the fields?” Amina said. 

Her life changed because someone like you invested in her. She attended one of The Hunger Project’s Vision, Commitment, Action workshops where Amina learned that she had the power to change her life. For the first time, she created a vision for her future, made a commitment to herself, and learned how to take action and achieve her new visions. 

“Now I have a successful soap making business, I have learned how to grow vegetables and make nutritious meals for my family and I have a beautiful vegetable garden. My children go to school and I work with my husband in his business. Together we make joint decisions about our children and our money,” Amina said. 

Finding her vision for her future, Amina is now committed to helping others in her village achieve their own vision and end their own hunger. Her entire village is being transformed thanks to the partnerships and investments from people like you. 

There are many ways you can partner with people like Amina:

  1. Support  with a one-off or monthly donation 
  2. Share Amina’s story on social media and tag The Hunger Project Australia
  3. Read more about our work in Africa

 

 

 

Meet Amina

Amina used to live in chronic hunger. She could not see any way out of the repetitive daily struggle to survive. She had no hope for the future.

Her life involved spending days gather wood, walking for hours to collect water, and back-breaking work in the fields to try and grow enough food to feed her family. Every day was the same for Amina.

“My children didn’t go to school. Why would they need to go to school just to work in the fields?” Amina said. 

Her life changed because someone like you invested in her. She attended one of The Hunger Project’s Vision, Commitment, Action workshops where Amina learned that she had the power to change her life. For the first time, she created a vision for her future, made a commitment to herself, and learned how to take action and achieve her new visions. 

“Now I have a successful soap making business, I have learned how to grow vegetables and make nutritious meals for my family and I have a beautiful vegetable garden. My children go to school and I work with my husband in his business. Together we make joint decisions about our children and our money,” Amina said. 

Finding her vision for her future, Amina is now committed to helping others in her village achieve their own vision and end their own hunger. Her entire village is being transformed thanks to the partnerships and investments from people like you. 

There are many ways you can partner with people like Amina:

  1. Support  with a one-off or monthly donation 
  2. Share Amina’s story on social media and tag The Hunger Project Australia
  3. Read more about our work in Africa

 

 

 

Meet Sunita

We met Sunita with her ward members in the village meeting hall.  Next door was a creche – set up for around 10-15 of the poorest children in the village. When we asked her what made her happy, she spoke about the previous week when she’d successfully re-enrolled 8 girls, aged 8-12, in the local school. They had been taken out of school by their parents, who saw value in having the girls help with farm labour and cattle herding, rather than sending them to school.

Sunita and her ward members negotiated with the families, impressing upon them the benefits of the girls receiving an education, while working out how the manual labour could be covered by those in the community.

One of the things Sunita is most proud of is that she had a water tank constructed to provide clean water to 4 villages.  The tank now benefits around 5,000 people. Before it was installed, the villagers were reliant on a hand pump that was not only difficult to access but also had water contaminated with fluoride (stunting the children’s growth).

It took her two years of negotiations with the local government, but she never lost sight of her vision to provide her community with clean water.  She travelled to the office personally on 15 occasions (a 20km round trip) and made numerous phone calls to ensure that the needs of her community weren’t getting lost in the bureaucracy.

Sunita is the President (Sarpanch) of Aakodiya Block, Chaksu District, Jaipur.

There are many ways you can partner with Sunita:

  1. Share Sunita’s inspirational story on social media and tag The Hunger Project Australia
  2. Read more about our work in India
  3. Support with a one-off or monthly gift so we can reach more communities across India