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What a difference Though Surekha is only 12, she knows all about development. And so she should – she is a leader in the child forum in her village Child forums are held in all the villages of World Vision’s Dahod Area Development Programme, and the leaders are selected by the children themselves. In the forums children get to have their say about the improvements World Vision is facilitating their village to achieve. Although the forums are not limited to sponsored children, they are a place where the children can talk about sponsorship too. It is an honour for someone as young as Surekha to be chosen by her peers to be a child leader. Surekha takes her job very seriously and does so with humility, not boasting about her position. She knows where all the other sponsored children live in her village and reads the annual progress reports sent to sponsors. Surekha is aware of the benefits World Vision’s child sponsorship has brought to her village. She can explain that her village now has lift irrigation systems and hand pumps, horticulture and sports materials, especially her favourite – skipping ropes. To look around Surekha’s village, one can instantly see the difference World Vision has made here. There’s a lot of building going on in the village, a sign of prosperity and also of permanence. People are no longer having to migrate each year to find work; they’ve got plenty of work at home in the fields, and they’ve got money now to spend on their houses. Beyond the bounds of the village there is dry barren desert, but inside it is green. There are a huge variety of crops grown: roses, lilies, ginger, cabbages and all sorts of fruit trees. One beautiful side effect of the irrigation projects is that the dams and lakes are attracting migratory birds, which never used to come. The beauty of the white herons adds to the lush greenery of the environment. |
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DAHOD STORY ARCHIVE 2007 A man with a vision Snippets Milking time Counting down 2006 Country life Snippets Shining Avian influenza What a difference 2005 Snippets 2004 Snippets Reluctant farmer 2003 Snippets Signs of ownership An answer to migration
Banswara: Snippets Dumaria: Snippets Gajapati: Snippets Girideep: Good news from India Mayurbhanj: Snippets Mumbai West: Working woman Ratlam: Snippets
Chitalmari: Reaching out Kaliganj: Turning point Laudob: Tailor-made Sariakandi: No bride price Tarash: Extra tuition brings top results Cambodia show on map Koh Andaet: Savings scheme Oudong: Making water safe Samrong Tong: Better sanitation means better health Stong: Welcome to Stong Honduras show on map Concepcion: Changing for the better Nueva Vision: Mobilising youth Valle: Farewell to Valle Malawi show on map Blantyre Urban: Charity and Aisha Chata: Plenty to smile about Mikolongwe: Trying it out Mali show on map Koro: In their own words Togogana: Welcome to Togogana Yangasso: Time in the garden Myanmar show on map Myeik: Snippets Nicaragua show on map Aguas Azules: At the helm Tlilican: School gets new lease of life Niger show on map Chadakori: Welcome to Chadakori Goulbi N'Kaba: Successes Papua New Guinea show on map Port Moresby: Snippets Vadavada: Snippets Rwanda show on map Kabuga: Welcome to Kabuga Tubehoneza: Building a better world for children Tanzania show on map Budekwa: Snippets Bugabo: Clinic has water at last! Bukene: Snippets Dakama: Conserving the future Ibuga: Snippets Ibwera: Snippets Iselamagazi: Good News from Iselamagazi Magugu: Snippets Nkoma: Snippets Nshamba: Snippets Uganda show on map Buyamba: Taking care of your own Ngogwe: Welcome to Ngogwe Pakwach: Farewell to Puvona Panyimur: Snippets Rakai-Kooki: Cool school Vanuatu show on map Tafea: Snippets Zambia show on map Mporokoso: Community leader Nakonde: Good news from Nakonde Siachitema: Time to know the truth |