Category Archives: Asia

Feb 6 2013

Indigenous group obtains recognition of ancestral lands

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Dumagats

Chieftain Rogelio plays a tune for his grandson, Erick, right-center, and two other children, Myrna, left, and Joshua, far right.

Deep in the lush mountains of the northern Philippines, an indigenous tribe lives respectfully with nature.

Meet the Dumagats.

The Dumagat indigenous community has lived in the mountains and lowlands of the Philippines for a thousand years.

They have slowly been pushed out of their home by logging, overfishing and encroaching landowners.

They could do nothing to address these problems because they never officially held a title to their lands.

And without guidance and assistance, they were hesitant to begin the painstaking documentation needed to obtain a title.

Until they partnered with CFCA.

Read the amazing story of the Dumagat indigenous community and how they worked with local CFCA staffers to gain the recognition of their ancestral domain.

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Feb 5 2013

Two of a kind: sisters in India open food stand

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Curry Point

Jesintha, left, and Prakash at their food stand, Curry Point.

CFCA strives to help families achieve economic self-sufficiency. The Hope for a Family program aims to partner with families so that over time they may rely less on benefits from CFCA and more on their own income-generation activities to meet their basic needs.

We recently heard from our Hyderabad project in India about several mothers of sponsored children who are exemplifying the potential of families living in poverty. Here’s the story of Prakash and her sister Jesintha ó enjoy!

In 2010, my sister, Jesintha, and I started a food stand called Curry Point.

We prepare food items like dal, sambar, potato fry, brinjal curry, tomato pickle and chapattis (Indian bread) and other foods. We sell our meals at reasonable rates, so it is affordable for many.

I am Prakash. My sister and I are part of a mothers group in Hyderabad, India. She has a son sponsored through CFCA, and my son is sponsored as well.

My sister and I both took out a loan from each of our mothers groups to start this curry business. Read more

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Jan 22 2013

Helping end violence in India by empowering women, girls

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Elizabeth-AlexBy Elizabeth Alex, CFCA community outreach and media relations director

The voice of powerless women in India has been heard.

It’s tragic that it took the rape, torture and agonizing death of a promising young physiology student to bring that voice to the world.

“I am heartbroken about the news of this young woman,” said Paul Pearce, CFCA director of global strategy. “She was heroic to hold her head up high and go to school. I hear she had big dreams of building a hospital back in her village.”

CFCA has more than 35,000 sponsored children and aging friends in India. We also support a home for boys from the streets in Delhi, the city where the young woman was attacked.

Our staff and families understand how the simple act of boarding a bus can become a deadly decision; women and the poor are vulnerable and become targets just by reaching for their dreams.

“The heroic journey on the path out of poverty can be a daunting and even lonely task,” Pearce said. “Many in the communities where we work live in a state of isolation.”

We are learning that most of the five young men, who are charged with luring the 23-year-old woman and her friend onto a bus with the promise of a ride, came from a slum neighborhood. They have no jobs, and are unable to hire an attorney to represent them.

CFCA works in India and 21 other countries to end this violent cycle with a model that focuses on the individual and his or her needs while building safe and responsible communities. Read more

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Jan 15 2013

Mother in India starts family business

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Sathya

Sathya opened her own store with help from a CFCA mothers group loan.

We recently heard from our Hyderabad project in India about several mothers of sponsored children who are exemplifying the potential of families living in poverty. Here’s the story of Sathya – enjoy!

My family and I live in a remote village in India.

My husband used to be a contract worker; the income he earned was not enough to support our family.

I had an opportunity to take out a loan through my mothers group.

I talked with my husband, and we both shared the idea of opening a store in our village.

He supported my idea and agreed to purchase the required materials for the store.

First, I opened the store in our home.

I soon repaid the first loan, and I took out another loan to purchase a kiosk made with wood.

After that was repaid, I asked for a third loan to buy a refrigerator to keep a few cool drinks in the store.

After a few years, my husband left his job and is helping me run the business. Read more

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Jan 10 2013

What the Santals can teach us: Sreekanth, CFCA communications liaison for India

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Sreekanth, CFCA communications liaison for India

Sreekanth, out on location, wearing a traditional hat of the Santal tribe.

By Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison for India

Each CFCA sponsored friend and family has a story to tell.

For the families of the Santal tribes living in remote areas of India between Nepal and Bangladesh, the story is especially compelling.

As CFCA’s communications liaison in India, I have the honor to tell their story.

The Santals depend on nature for their survival. Agriculture is their way of life.

As their villages are spread across four Indian states and are miles away from towns, they create their own communities with whatever resources are available. They build houses with mud and clay supported by bamboo sticks and cover the roof with grass, straw and tiles made of mud.

The Santals are wrongly considered “behind the times” by many in India, and their way of life may seem rugged to you and me.

But the Santal people can teach all of us important lessons. They take nothing for granted, and they have a lot to share about using scarce resources in the most sustainable ways.

Their culture and religious observances are colorful, dynamic and unique. To the Santals, dancing is essential to life. Read more

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Jan 4 2013

Widowed mother starts her own business

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Md. Baby and her son Anwar.

Md. Baby and her son Anwar.

We recently heard from our Hyderabad project in India about several mothers of sponsored children who are exemplifying the potential of families living in poverty. Hereís the story of Md. Baby ó enjoy!

I was married at an early age. My husband died after the birth of our only son Anwar.

Since then, my problems increased.

I learned to sew after my husband passed away, and I used to go the fields to work as a daily laborer to provide for my family.

When I heard about CFCA sponsorship, I went to apply for the program.

The sponsorship program has given a new hope for me in the form of self-help groups.

As I already knew how to sew, I was interested in opening a tailoring shop that also sells sewing items. Read the rest of Md. Baby’s story

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Dec 28 2012

Only a few days left for 2012 tax-deductible gifts

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EOY-email-sidebyside

Mounica unrolls a mat onto the earthen floor of her familyís small home in India, getting ready for bed. Her eyes are heavy, but her heart is full.

She used to lie awake at night wondering if she would be sent home from school the next day. Her parents’ unsteady income of $2 a day wasnít enough to pay the required school fees.

But now, thanks to help from generous donors like you, Mounica sleeps soundly, dreaming about the day she will have a class of her own to teach, confident that she will make that dream a reality.

For young people living in poverty, education is the key to a better life. But when you worry daily about having enough food to eat, other necessities like school fees and supplies become a luxury you canít afford.

The CFCA Scholarship Fund helps hard-working teens attend school and pursue their dreams. Because itís those dreams ó to be a teacher, engineer or nurse ó that will enable them to build a path out of poverty.

Your tax-deductible gift to the CFCA Scholarship Fund makes those dreams a reality.

Donate today and give life to a studentís dream.

2012 year-end donations may be made until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31.

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