Asia

Agrarian communities of rural Gansu Province are periodically tormented by drought.  Lack of access to financial markets keep farmers in a trap of subsistence living as they are scarcely able to grow enough produce to break beyond their survival needs.

Due to population paucity and harsh weather conditions during winter, surface transportation is not well developed in Mongolia.  Rural regions in need of assistance are difficult to access whilst government agencies and humanitarian organisations are hindered in their delivery of long-term development projects.  

Batik is an ancient cloth dyeing technique which has been practiced in South-East Asia for many centuries.  The traditional handicraft tells a long history of acculturation as intricate patterns reflect an array of cultural influences from surrounding regions.

Unimproved water sources in Myanmar compromise hygiene, sanitation and drinking water availability.  Unfiltered rivers and swamps are contaminated by human and animal waste, chemical pollutants and heavy metals which can quite often be fixed by simple low-technology solutions.

As humanitarian crises have lifted in Sri Lanka, national development has shifted its focus toward building a strong economic core in the private sector and diversifying rural livelihoods.  Demographic transition that has accompanied the drive toward middle-income country status now poses some challenges regarding aged dependency.

Across the rugged terrain of Tajikistan there are scattered communities in great need.  Disability is stigmatized, medical facilities are overrun, the employment base is narrow and drinking water is in short supply. 

The worldview of the Indian people towards the Dalit (lowest caste) means that they are denied the basic human right to education.  As global awareness has increased, international pressure has brought about some level of equality by reserving some places in educational institutions and government employment.

India’s Dalits have recently taken drastic strides toward social equality and economic empowerment through our partner’s nationwide movement to establish customised education centres.  In these centres, Dalits can attain employable skills to carry them out of the poverty trap that their lineage has suffered under for so long.

There are an estimated 100 000 people living in the Philippines who are ‘hard of hearing’.  This means they can only understand words when spoken very loudly close to the ear and have severe difficulties if there are ambient noises.

In a country devastated by years of guerilla militia and political upheaval, the rights and opportunities of children with disabilities have fallen by the wayside on governmental agendas.  This school project assists hearing impaired children gain skills necessary for productive lives.

As is typical of most developing countries, the majority of deaf Filipino children are excluded from educational institutions because of economic, cultural or logistical barriers.  The choices for the poor are stark: they can either attend the local school where they are likely to fail unless concerted efforts are made to include them, or they can evade a formal education and accept little prospect of fulfilling a prosperous career.    

The disabled and homeless are amongst the most underprivileged people living below the poverty line in Nepal.  Unfortunately, a fatalistic attitude toward future employment and wellbeing is widespread, leading to internal despair and external exclusivity.

Many Mongolian women are suffering in silence as domestic violence sweeps the nation in endemic proportions.  National statistics reveal that as many as one in three have been victims of such abuse at least once in their life.

Barriers of language, ethnicity, poverty and remoteness are all too familiar for children of minority people groups in rural China.  As they typically start school without knowing a word of Chinese, they are denied access from mainstream education and are confronted by a national curriculum which does not cater for their cultural diversity.