This is a simple straightforward appeal to provide cycle rickshaws to below the poverty line families in order to provide a vital source of income. If Bihar was a country it would be the sixth poorest in the world and a regular source of Income can make all the difference to a family struggling to put food on the table. We will provide uniforms, ID cards, basic training in English , and a brand new cycle rickshaw. One rickshaw can earn enough daily to provide 7 kg rice or 5 kg vegetables.
In Bihar despite some progress made in some infrastructure, relative poverty has actually increased and millions of people live on less than a dollar a day. There is little industry and much subsistence farming. Opportunities to earn are scarce. As a result children go hungry and parents cannot afford to send them to school and through lack of education the cycle is perpetuated.
This is a very simple appeal, give a family the means to earn. Perhaps a small group or family or organization could join together to provide a brand new cycle rickshaw for a poor family, we would be glad to put your name on it and send a photo! We estimate the amount a rickshaw could earn will make all the difference in extra income to a family living right at the margins of survival. Our progress reports will have stories directly from the beneficiaries. Help a poor family today!
If the appeal goes well we may well expand it so many more families not just in Bodhgaya but in the surrounding areas. Our staff through our work in local communities know who is in the most need, this appeal will be carefully targeted. As the average family size is ten just five rickshaws affects a minimum of 50 people, helping to make their lives better and more secure. Nearly all rickshaws in India are rented, this appeal gives a family a chance to earn their own rickshaw.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
