Sleep eluded Sabela. Every time the 48-year-old widow almost drifted off, the cold wind sliced through her home, rousing her. She couldn’t afford warm clothing or a blanket, and her relatives certainly…
Nine-year-old Bhagya hated school. Between the shame imposed on her family because of her father’s drinking and her difficulty understanding and concentrating on her fourth-grade study materials, Bhagya didn’t want to go…
Rage and abuse dropped like tornados, devastating Suong’s early childhood. Her father, an alcoholic, terrorized her mother until she could bear it no more. Suong’s mother divorced her father and took off…
When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake ripped through Kathmandu, the capitol city of Nepal, on April 25, 2015, it sent deadly tremors through neighboring countries. Dozens of aftershocks followed, including one of 7.3…
What do a group of prisoners, slum dwellers and street and school children in various regions of South Asia have in common? The answer is simple, yet deadly: the lack of proper…
The squeals of laughter and songs of joy drifting from the other side of the gate intrigued Qia, but she was too frightened to pass through the entrance and discover their source.…
Hetavi lost her father when she was only 18 years old. Grief stung the young woman even more deeply because her paternal relatives barraged Hetavi, her younger siblings and their mother Toral,…
For five long years, Kayan languished, suffering from an unknown illness that confined her to her bed. As she lay helpless, her and her husband Darsh’s financial situation plummeted, and the family…
The pains of hunger gnawed at 14-year-old Jalpa. She could barely focus on the day’s lessons. Another stomach growl, another stab of pain. The lesson became muddled with that of yesterday, swirling…
Shakurah neared the school on the outskirts of her village. Fatigued from her long walk, she slipped into the classroom, late again. She may have avoided her teacher’s glare, but she would…
