WEGs WORK

“I think every community should have a WEG!” Last week we sat down with one of the Master Trainers from one of our areas. He began to talk about the Women’s Empowerment Groups that we began earlier this year in some of his communities. We only entered a few communities so that we could more clearly see the impact of WEG groups in village life.

What we’ve seen over the past few months is remarkable. Our Master Trainer told us this story, “In one school there were very few girls enrolled. I sat with the WEG Leader for this village and told her this was a problem I asked her to talk with parents and to try to have more girls enrolled and attending next month. When I returned the next month for my visit, there were 6 new girls enrolled in the school! I saw that when we gave responsibility to the women, when we gave them a chance to do important work- they got it accomplished. Because of WEGs, those schools are stronger, parents are happier, and the women are getting to make decisions. Because the women are saving money, more children are saving money. They are buying goats and medicine for their families. They have respect in their communities.”

Depending on funding, we hope to build this program over the next few years to incorporate all of our current villages. We invite you to join us in prayer for our WEG Leaders in Villages, our WEG Area Coordinators, and our WEG Program Coordinator. Let us pray that they feel encouraged, challenged, and continue to stay passionate about their work.

Rains

The rains are coming.

The waters will rise.

Right now their school has a teacher, a blackboard, books, and students. They are learning and growing and feeling that perhaps they can achieve their dreams after all.

But the rains are coming.

Their hut, though cool in the summer heat, will likely not last.

When it floods, the school will likely be destroyed.

Where students should be sitting, water will stand.

Where children should be growing, water will stagnate. 

The rains will steal away months of education. The construction will steal away more. In communities where everyone works in fields harvesting all day, there is little time to dedicate to re-building a school.

When the walls fall, so will their hopes.

Be a hand supporting the wall.

Put your umbrella over their sweet heads, so they can fill them up with knowledge.

Give them a roof so their dreams can reach the sky. Sponsor building a school today.

Gather your friends, persuade your classrooms and small groups, and convince your families.

Don’t let the rains wash away their hope for a future. Invest today in sustainable, long lasting school buildings.

Mansingh

Teacher training saves lives.

When Mansingh first came to PEP training in 2006, he says he felt nervous and very shy. Even though his father was the leader in his village, he didn’t think he had much ability to lead.

But our trainers did. Our teacher trainers saw great potential in Mansingh and believed he could be a positive force for change in his village. During the training he acted in role plays depicting classroom scenes, worked in group activities to discuss challenges, and spoke in front of his fellow teachers about his life and community. PEP is convinced that building the confidence of people like Mansingh, builds the strength and hope for his community as well. Mansingh was motivated to return to his village and share with his family and friends what he had learned. He was able to tell them about the importance of girls’ education, the benefits of higher learning, and the important role that parents play in school.

Furthermore, when the floods came last year, he was able to access much needed help for his community. Mansingh was not afraid to approach government officials and NGOS to ask for assistance and supplies. He was not fearful of speaking in front of those groups, because he knew that he had been trained to be a voice for his community. In turn, his community had faith in him because of the wonderful job he had done in the school. They trusted his guidance and advice during and after the disaster. Mansingh was able to rebuild 20 houses in his community and provide the needed funds for a washroom and hand pump as well. Thanks to his leadership, his community was able to recover and is much better prepared for the next disaster.

Through the training and lessons he learned from PEP, Mansingh became a change agent for his village. He has saved the lives of people through his response to the floods; he has saved the lives of children who never thought they would have the possibility of going to school; he has saved the lives of girls who never would have attended school without his advocating on their behalf. PEP is honored to be a part of the process of his growth and leadership through our trainings. We feel so blessed and thankful that Mansingh knows he has the potential to be a great leader!

Has there been someone in your life that has invested in your leadership skills? Is there someone who has made a difference in your life because they taught you that you have immense potential?

 

Love is…

This video gives you an idea of what PEP does and how we share LOVE in Pakistan!

Desert Gardens

Have you ever started a garden in a dessert?

About two months ago a PEP community in Khipro received 3 hand pumps for their village as a part of our Community Led Total Sanitation efforts. Before the village had hand pumps, the women would have to walk for hours in the hot sun carrying gallons of water on their heads. However, because water now no longer takes so long to access, many of the women find themselves with more time on their hands. One of the reasons some people mention for not sending their daughters to school is that the women they need their help out at home. In addition to improving health, we’re hoping that decreasing the work for the women by building hand pumps will also give their daughters the time they need to go to school.

This particular community realized what a precious gift water was. When someone pumps the water, sometimes the bucket is overfilled or too much water comes out too fast. The villagers wanted to make sure they used this precious resource well. They used their creativity and insight with the excess water and used it to begin a vegetable garden! In dry desert areas, like so many parts of Sindh, it is very difficult to grow vegetables with such little water. Furthermore, this community (like many that PEP works in) is also extremely isolated and buying weekly vegetables is an expensive burden. By building a hand pump, the community is able to not only have clean drinking water closer, but to increase their families’ health and nutrition as well.

What if we each saw our own resources like this community does? What if we took stock of all of our blessings, gifts, and talents and made the most of them? I believe that our gardens and lives would be filled with blossoms and blooms of hope and promise. Give more communities a chance to show off their creativity and sponsor a hand pump today!

What resources do you have to share? How can you use your time, gifts, and abilities more efficiently to create a positive impact on the world around you?