Saira and Nitesh

Happy February! In honor of Valentine’s Day we want to share about a wonderful couple Sister India had the privilege to serve.

Saira grew up in Rajasthan, where two out of every three impoverished girls are married underage. She was married as a young girl to her husband, Nitesh. Both Saira and Nitesh were illiterate; neither had been able to attend school. They worked their own field, but like many India farmers, they could not make a living from it. The couple felt hopeless, and they reluctantly made plans to begin migrant work to feed their families.

Through your support, a Sister India class came to their village and Saira enrolled! She attended regularly and devoted herself to her studies. Their family received seeds from the Health Education unit and they were taught how to grow a kitchen garden properly. Soon they were growing organic tomatoes and eggplant to make healthy meals for their family, and they had enough surplus produce to sell in the market.

While the majority of Sister India students are women, our classes are open to anyone – after seeing Saira’s progress Nitesh joined class as well! Now both Saira and Nitesh can read, write and do simple arithmetic.

Their small business training skills helped them make their trading profitable, and they now earn enough to support their family. They are so thankful to you for your assistance.