Signs of Success
May 11th, 2009 by megan
Sponsored Child and his Parents in the Scheduled Caste Colony
This article will appear in Hearts’ Cry’s May newsletter. To receive the e-newsletter sign up HERE.
In Mattampally, I witnessed the trials that our beneficiaries face on a daily basis. In the village open sewers abound, and dehydration caused by diarrhea is still the number one killer of children, yet preventable disease and lack of infrastructure are only the most visible signs of a village struggling to keep up with a developing nation that threatens to leave the landless poor behind. Farmer suicides, rampant alcoholism, depression, and abuse are the less obvious symptoms of cyclical poverty. But the cycle can be broken, and even in the most hopeless of situations, the subtle suggestions of hope linger just beneath the surface. Our goal at Hearts’ Cry’s goal is to provide opportunities and hope to the people of Mattampally, and there are many signs that Hearts’ Cry’s programs in the hands of Wilfred, Father George and the JJCT staff are successfully transforming Mattampally into a more hopeful place.
Father George in the the Village
Hope materializes in many forms in the lives of Mattampally villagers from young to old. At the elementary level, there are noticeably more females in the classes that have Hearts’ Cry sponsored children, suggesting that sponsorship allows more young girls to stay in school. They stay on, in hopes that they can continue through college, and these days, many young women do. Two of our female sponsored students will graduate with nursing degrees next year, and another female student just received a government scholarship to attend Engineering school. For many parents in Mattampally, their dreams of educating their children are finally becoming reality.
Krishnavini
For the young women in Mattampally who are unable to continue their education past 9th or 10th grade there is an alternative: They may join the sewing training at the Community Center. Krishnavini, a young, unmarried woman recently dropped out of a university program because she could not afford the tuition. As a sewing trainee, she now has the opportunity to do creative, rewarding work despite not earning a degree. After graduating she, like several trainees before her, may join the women’s microenterprise group where she can choose to take a low-interest loan to purchase an embroidery machine and expand her tailoring businesses.
Microfinance Groups Vote to Double their Monthly Savings this Year
In the today’s global economy, owning a small business is scary, but Mattampally’s microenterprise groups are thriving. The groups celebrated their 3rd anniversary on March 10th, 2009, and, in three years of granting low-interest loans, they have not had a single default! The entrepreneurs are not only paying off their loans, but they are expanding their businesses. One woman who originally had a small petty shop now has a successful gift, soda, and bangle shop. Her success story is only one of many within the current 160 co-op members, and pending funding, the women’s groups hope to expand to 200 member-entrepreneurs this year.
Elders Tending the Community Center Garden
As the micro-enterprise coordinator, I may be partial to the women’s group members, but the elders were some of my favorite people in the village. They are so sweet, genuine and truly thankful for our support. They excitedly told me that they are feeling stronger and healthier and can walk longer distances since they began receiving hot meals and medical care at the Community Center. They also feel loved, and mentioned how Wilfred gives them their medicines and asks after their health in a way that no one has ever done for them. Though these elderly men and women have lived very difficult lives and are now alone, they feel comfortable knowing that they’ll have support in their final years.
International Women's Day Rally
Hearts’ Cry’s work in Mattampally is recognizable in the life changes for individual elders, children, and families and even village-wide. The two schools that our sponsored children attend are growing and expanding. St Ann’s now offers high school classes, and both schools have new computer labs. Additionally, village ideas of women’s rights and roles are changing, in part due to the women’s microfinance groups. On March 8th, more than 200 women and children marched through Mattampally’s streets for International Women’s Day. Their signs and chants were clear: “Women’s work is not only in the kitchen,” they said, and “Women are Equal to Men.” They marched boldly through the streets shouting their demands and engaging the attention of the entire village. Their boldness can be attributed to their new-found financial independence and entrepreneurial confidence.
Sponsored Child (pictured above in SC colony) Performing at the Community Center
From young to old, Hearts’ Cry offers a hand up to the people of Mattampally through educational, emotional, and physical support, and though Mattampally is not free from the darkness of poverty, there is an end in sight. For many of our beneficiaries, your support and the Life’s Light Community Center (JJCT) is the flicker of hope that they need to struggle for better lives. Hope may be hard to quantify, but our success in Mattampally is evident from the smiles and laughter of the children, the proud mothers and business-owners and the joyful singing of Mattampally’s elders. I am so proud of the work that Hearts’ Cry and JJCT do in Mattampally, and I am so thankful to our donors and friends for making this work possible. I feel blessed to be a part of such a thoughtful, and effective aid organization, and to be serving such a grateful and welcoming community as Mattampally. On behalf of the people of Mattampally, I would like to share their warmest greetings, wishes for your health and happiness and the sincerest thanks for your generosity and love. Thank you.
Megan with JJCT Staff
Tags: Hearts' Cry, Hope, indian village, JJCT, Mattampally, scheduled caste, success
