Stories & Info

Millennium Development Goals Impacted: 1, 3 and 6

Millennium Development Goals Impacted: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8

Andrea lives in Peru, where she works selling food at a local market.  She works very hard, but she is often sad – both her husband and her daughter passed away, leaving her alone. 

One of the places she has found support is in a “solidarity group” of women entrepreneurs.  This group has been able to secure small loans, which are shared among the group members to help build their businesses.  This resource has allowed Andrea to buy ingredients in bulk, helping her increase her profits and save money. 

Now the treasurer of her solidarity group, Andrea has earned the trust and respect of its members.  She knows she has people she can rely on, and feels proud and secure.

Veronica was carrying twins when she went into premature labor. The nearest health center to her village is a boat ride away – too far to travel with a medical emergency.

Fortunately, community health workers in small villages along the lake shore had been trained to offer basic services and medications.

Assisted by a trained midwife, Veronica gave birth safely. Sadly, one baby did not survive, and the other, Martha, was small and weak. But the midwife knew what to do.

Now Baby Martha receives a checkup every month from a local volunteer. Veronica is so grateful that her baby will have a healthy childhood.

Mary lives in Massam Kpaka, Sierra Leone. She became part of her church’s community garden project and works every day to help their crops grow.

The vegetables from the garden provide nutritious food for the families of the gardening group, and surplus produce is sold in the market. The income is divided equally among the members.

Mary says there is a sense of unity among the members of the gardening group – they rely on each other for support and advice.

There has also been a big change in Mary’s life at home now that she is making her own income. She used to have to ask her husband for money, but now they make spending decisions together. “My husband now respects me because I am a contributing member of the household.”

Doña Tomasa lives in La Palma, Nicaragua. There are many good things about life in La Palma, but until recently, there was one big problem – water.

The water in the community well was good for drinking, but the well itself was not built in a way that prevented contamination. Diarrhea and other stomach problems were common, and there were no sanitary latrines for people to use.

Because of friends like you, our partner in Nicaragua, El Porvenir, helped the people of La Palma repair their well and built 20 latrines that contain waste so that it does not contaminate the environment or water supply. The stomach problems that used to be common are now rare, and Doña Tomasa is much healthier.