StoriesPage 2

Learn more about our work through stories from people whose lives we have affected or people we have worked with.
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Development beyond disability

1.5-year old Valery in Peru was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth. Her family still remembers the insensitive way they were treated at the hospital. Thanks to our partner UNICEF, Valery’s parents got support and guidance to help her in the best way, and they also got to meet other families in the same situation.
Yeo Nakoni in her cabbage field.
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Changed her destiny and now runs a successful business

Growing up in Ivory Coast, Yeo Nakoni was taken out of school at the age of 15 to support her parents on their farm. Her destiny was set. It could have stayed that way, if it wasn’t for her business minded mother-in-law. Today, the 51-year old grows and sells her own vegetables and can afford to send her children to school.
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From typing service to a growing stationary business

Growing up and selling products and services to make ends meet, inspired 35-year old Martha Sócola Morales to start her own stationary business once she graduated from university in Peru. When traditional banks wouldn’t give her a loan, she found a financial institution that focused on group loans for women only, and she could expand her business.
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Successful factory owner despite a tough start

25-year old Bara’a Al-Shobaki is one of seven siblings and lives in Jordan. When her father’s job wasn’t enough to support the whole family, her mother started buying and selling garments out of their small house. She became so successful that she had over 250 customers and started exporting to Syria. Perhaps this gave Bara’a the strength and determination to start her own business even though all banks initially turned her down.
Girl in Bangladesh washing her hands
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Knowledge key to breaking taboos and improving health

Without knowing how to manage their periods, teenage girls can end up dropping out of school, missing their education and putting their health and futures at risk. Thanks to the Banglabazar project with WaterAid, new female-friendly toilets and menstrual hygiene management sessions are helping to break the cycle of absenteeism, keeping girls in school and improving lives for the whole community.