8M: Esther, Erika and Pema, 3 brave girls who fight for their dreams
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| Esther lives in the mombasa project. He loves to write poems. |
Erika is from Peru. Esther from Kenya. Pema from Nepal. But they have one thing in common: noor do they plan to let nothing and no one stop them from fulfilling their dreams. Although they have few resources and must overcome many obstacles, their stories of courage and overcoming encourage us to continue working for them... and many more women and girls from countries of the South. In the 8M and always: equality and rights, NOW!
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| Esther in the Kenya project. |
Esther, a street girl in Mombasa
Her name is Esther, although all her friends call her Nike. A few years ago she lived on the streets of Mombasa, until the NGO we collaborate with welcomed her and gave her a home, education and medical assistance. He likes to write poems and is very talented. In December, Esther was able to return to her family, but no longer on the street, but in a house. Now he is in high school and he is thinking about what to study when he finishes.
The organization we collaborate with in Mombasa It has been welcoming street girls since 1991. Until 2017, it only welcomed girls, since they are the most vulnerable group. Now it also offers its services to children.
Recently, Esther wrote a poem to one of Tumaini's volunteers. He wanted to say goodbye to her and thank her for her collaboration. The poem begins like this:
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| Erica in the cusco project, in Peru. |
Erika, the girl who did not want to leave school in Cusco
Erica came to the little school with which we collaborate in Cusco, Peru, 10 years ago. This year he turns 15. She is very intelligent, mature and responsible.. At school he always got the best grades in the class. She is always worried about her little brothers: she accompanies them, makes sure they eat, that they don't fall in the park, etc.
His mother is 29 years old. She is a country woman, she has worked very hard since she was very little, and now she always has pain in her joints. That's why, Erika has to help wash clothes, make breakfast, clean, etc. One day, she told Erika that she couldn't go to the project anymore because she had to help at home. But Erika stood up and told him that she wanted to study. In the end, she realized that her daughter is very intelligent and understood that her education is key to a better future.
Now he continues to study and go to the project. “She wants to be a civil engineer or an accountant. It has a great future", tells us Yeni, coordinator of the project. This little school on the outskirts of Cusco offers school tutoring and recreational activities to boys and girls like Erika, who come from Quechua-speaking migrant families with very low incomes.
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| Pema studies secondary school at the kathmandu project. |
Pema, a girl in one of the most remote villages in the world
Her name is Pema Tsering. She is the eldest of her sisters. He is 15 years old. He was born in Komang, one of the most remote villages in the world., in the Nepalese Himalayas. In his village there is no Internet, no roads, and no money! There is a school, but only primary. Reaching the last year, Pema had to make the difficult decision: stay with her family or travel alone to Kathmandu to continue studying? That meant not seeing his parents again for at least 3 years.
Pema was brave and joined the educational project with which we collaborate in Kathmandu. This NGO pays for the transportation (in some sections, by donkey!) of the young people from Komang to the Nepalese capital and offers them a home so they can continue studying. The shock of these boys and girls upon arriving in the city is great: everything is new and they don't know anyone. But the support they receive at the center helps them keep going.
Pema wants to be a teacher, return to Komang and help her parents. He really likes to cook and play soccer. “His hobby is telling jokes, he is always laughing!” commented the project coordinators.
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| Education for boys and girls in Iquitos, Peru. |
8M, today and always, rights for women and girls!
From Tumaini, We demand the rights of women and girls, especially in countries of the South, where they have fewer opportunities and suffer more discrimination. For this reason, today and always, we collaborate with NGOs like these:
- In Kenya, this center welcomes girls who have suffered terrible situations: female genital mutilation, early marriages, etc. It offers them a home, education and recreational activities to make them smile again.
- In India, we collaborate with an NGO that offers decent work to low caste women. Until recently, these women, without income or education, were not independent and could not make their own decisions. Now they have a decent salary and they also leave their small children in a little school where they teach English, Hindi, yoga, dance, etc.
Take a solidarity trip to one of these projects and collaborate with the empowerment of women and girls!