“The news from India and Nepal that makes the headlines in our media tends to be rather negative. However, during our Usthi visits to India and Nepal, we see a very different picture: children in the slums who spend hours in the tuition centres after school, working hard at their homework in order to later give their families a better life; mothers in the tribal area who give their best each day for the survival of their children; former commercial sex workers who, in the professional skills training centre, soak up every word that their teacher utters. They are all aware that education is the key to a better future. It‘s precisely these strong and courageous women and children that we are able to support with our projects. Helping them is our biggest motivation, which inspires us daily.
We are very pleased that in 2014 we made big steps forward in our Indian projects. The successful completion of the Early Childhood Development Project, as well as its expansion into more villages, the opening of the maternity unit in the Somagiri Tribal Health Centre and the promising start of the Project against Child Abuse in the suburbs of Hyderabad are just examples, but are also important milestones in our local work. In Nepal, we have somewhat reduced our engagement following the successful integration of young people, but are in the process of intensively working on the establishment of a new project.”