Nine-year old Bimala lives in Nepal with her father, mother and younger brother in a poor community. She is a student in grade 4. But she is also a budding farmer who is helping her family rise out of poverty by raising chickens that she received when she was sponsored, which is also helping keep Bimala in school.
Recently, Bimala sold her chickens to buy a goat. “I will wait for the goat to have babies so I can sell the kids again and buy more goats,” she says. As part of her sponsorship support, Bimala and other sponsored children receive chickens and learn about basic financial literacy.
Life Before the Gift of Sponsorship
She attends school regularly now, but this was not always the case for Bimala. Despite her father working as a labourer in a nearby district and her mother tending their small kitchen garden, poverty made it difficult for the family to afford even the basics.
And Bimala’s poor health made matters worse.
She suffered from pneumonia and constant fevers when she was younger, missing school often. The family’s financial struggles, her poor health and irregular school attendance caused Bimala to nearly drop out of school.
It was then that she found a sponsor through Asian Aid and received support and the additional gift of chickens and training.
“School dropout rates remain high in Nepal, with low-income families often unable to afford the uniform and stationary supplies required to send their children to school,” says Pramod Dahal, Women’s, Girls and Child Rights project manager in Nepal. “If they miss school often, many children then leave their education behind as they grow older. That’s why we provide sponsored children who need further school resources with chickens to care for. The children rear the chickens and sell them to increase their household income, giving the family the financial resources they need to keep their children in school.”
If you want to provide the gift of new beginnings for more children like Bimala, here is our Gift Catalogue.
