MG2010 West: Food for the Hungry, Inc.

The following is just one of the countless stories of transformation that are being told throughout our fields around the world. These are stories about the vulnerable and the broken becoming empowered and equipped to realize their inherent value and God-given potential:

In Shafaly's village, 75% of people are unable to read or write. As a young girl, Shafaly dreamed of having a different life, but her family was poor and could never afford to send Shafaly to school. "My family could not give any opportunity for me to go to school," Shafaly says. "They never spoke of education." Instead, they married her off when she was just 15 years old.

Shafaly's husband worked as a poor rickshaw puller. They had two children and sent them to school for a while. But one day, Shafaly's husband said, "We don't even have enough food to eat. How can we support our children's education?" With that, Shafaly's son and daughter stopped going to school.

Shafaly was heartbroken to see her children without an education, but another opportunity came their way. In her community, Food for the Hungry (FH) formed a women's learning and savings group. Shafaly joined with 19 other women. They met every week and deposited a small amount of savings together for their collective use.

One of the first activities Shafaly's group focused on was a literacy course. Seeing her enthusiasm for education, Shafaly's fellow group members elected her to be their Education Leader. She took responsibility to make sure their classroom was ready each day, six days a week, and that all the other group members were motivated to come to class regularly and on time. After eight months, Shafaly and the other group members completed their course. They kept practicing their reading skills by reading books from the small library provided to their group by FH.

With a taste of education, Shafaly could no longer bear to see her children not go to school. Determined, Shafaly found a job at a rice-processing plant. She worked in the hot sun, drying and shovelling rice. Seeing her hard work, Shafaly's husband came to respect her in a new way. With her earnings, they were able to send their children to school again. Shafaly's youngest son is now in Class 1, and her daughter is in Class 9.

Shafaly continues to participate in awareness sessions about health and legal rights in her savings group. She sings songs and acts in dramas about different issues, and she shares everything she learns with her family and neighbors. Shafaly is thankful to FH for the change in her life and her family.