After the pandemic, many children in South Asia have struggled to gain access to an education. Due to school closures, children often began to carry out labour work to help their families. Some children and their families became homeless, due to illness and death in their families, making them vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
The effects are still felt today, as the rates of children in education in South Asia is still at an all time low - more than 430 million children have been unable to return to the classroom.
Our partner's projects supplied emergency resources to those most in need, including children and families.
Though the repair still continues across our project areas in South Asia.
Below is Diya's story of resilience in her own words
'My life changed dramatically when I was only four years old. I lost my father to a heart attack and my mother became depressed and developed a psychosomatic disorder. She left me alone one day and never came back. I had no one to take care of me and I had to drop out of school and beg for food.
I was living in despair until I met a staff member from Karuna in 2020, when they were distributing relief items.They introduced me to the Natun Diganta project, supported by the Karuna Trust, which gave me a chance to resume my education. I realised how important it was for me to learn and grow, and I found support and encouragement from my group. I shudder to think what would have happened to me if I had not joined the project; I could have been trafficked or exploited as a child labourer. But thanks to Nishtha and the Karuna Trust, I have been given the opportunity to study and pursue my dreams. I am now in class 10 and I feel like I have a new life!
I am immensely grateful to the Karuna Trust for giving me this golden opportunity to fly like an angel.'
Thank you for your support and committment to Karuna and the people we serve.
