Pilli* is a young woman from Kakinada, India. With an equivalent of a sixth-grade education and living in generational poverty, Pilli and other women like her in the community are not valued. However, due to a women’s empowerment program from her local church she learned how to tailor clothing, a vital and practical skill. This has not only helped her family financially, but it has also boosted her confidence and expectations for the future. Pilli hopes that she can one day receive further education and be better able to provide for her family. Pilli says,

“I am very grateful to Canadian Baptists for their dedication and commitment towards women empowerment, which impacts women like me. They are bringing a new hope and bright future to our lives.”

“Although we have nothing left in Syria and our houses are destroyed, our dream is still that things will get better there so we can go back to our country, our land, and our families.”

Like Najwa and Pilli, Argentine* has already lived through much hardship though she is only 16 years old. In a rural area of Rwanda, Argentine and her family live with little access to water and food, due to poverty and harsh conditions. Argentine had to drop out of school because
her family could not afford school fees and supplies, but through the Orphans and Vulnerable Children project at her local church, now school fees, materials, trainings and even mentorship is provided for her, which she really appreciates. Argentine is back in school again, and this project has helped her regain hope for the future from the love and care she has experienced through this difficult year.