Padma has nine children and was married to a labourer (who makes about $100 a month). Their family was verging on starvation already, but when her husband left, she was forced to take a job as a cleaning woman for $60 a month (she works 14hr days, 7 days a week). Padma has a son who is mentally and physically disabled. Her daughter was in a motorcycle accident and desperately needed an operation to fix her knees. Several of the daughters were quickly married off and others worked and studied part time. The whole family worked very hard, but there was seldom enough to feed the family and Padma was doing everything she could to keep her daughters in school so they could go on to live independent and fulfilling lives and not just be at their husband’s mercy for all financial support.
We offered Padma some financial support in a time of crisis, we put her daughter through a computer course. We continue to remain in touch with the family whose situation has gradually improved with the employment of several of the families children.
* Names and photos may have been changed for privacy and safety reasons.