Earl lives in the Philippines with his father and mother. His father works as a street food vendor, while his mother stays home to take care of their household. With a tight budget from a single income, Earl’s schooling was at risk. Forced to choose between daily essentials and the cost of school supplies, his education had to come second.

But Earl’s future changed when a Holt sponsor stepped in.

Through monthly sponsorship, 10-year-old Earl no longer had to worry about the cost of school or how it impacted his family. Instead, sponsorship gave him the freedom to focus on his studies and enjoy his childhood.

Earl is now in 8^th grade and enjoys sudoku, reading about history and cooking for his family. He’s a diligent student and proud to be at the top of his class. His best subjects are English and technology, and he plans to complete his education through 12^th grade. As a shy 14-year-old, Earl tends to keep to himself, but his friends say he is a kind, thoughtful and loyal friend.

Recently, Earl wrote a letter to thank his sponsors for their help. He promises to “never stop dreaming” because of their support:

My name is Earl. I am 14 years old. I started participating in sponsor[ship] when I was in grade 4, and now I’m in grade 8. My favorite thing to do is read books about history.

First of all, thank you for helping my family, who are able to reduce costs because of what you gave. And most importantly, I would like to thank you for your help in my stud[ies], which helped me a lot. I’ve always been in the top 1 or 2, or with honors. And now in grade 8, I graduated with high honors. I also participated in the sudoku puzzle [competition], and I was top 2 in our school. … I promise you that as long as you help me and hold on to something, I will never stop dreaming of myself and [my] family. Thank you very much.

God Bless,

Earl

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The post “I Will Never Stop Dreaming” appeared first on Holt International.

Vietnam

Holt Vietnam recently hosted a three-day Roots to Grow training for 20 children, ages 14-18, in Dong Nai Province. The Roots to Grow training focuses on exploring nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, and budgeting presented through fun and interactive games, activities, meal preparation and cooking.

The recent training brought a lot of fun for the children and helped them to feel confident in the kitchen. They learned about how different foods protect your body, help you grow and give you energy. Through hands-on time in the kitchen, they also learned practical skills like handling kitchen knives, keeping utensils clean and even how to cook new recipes, like omelets, focaccia bread, bulgogi and apple crisp!

Without learning these essential life skills, it can be extremely difficult for children growing up in poverty to make their way as independent adults. Through the support of sponsors and donors, children in Holt’s programs learn life skills that they need to live healthy, successful lives.

Uganda

In Uganda, maternal and child health camps were recently held at four health centers as well as Holt sponsor and donor-supported early childhood care and development centers. These donor-funded camps offer crucial medical care to children, families and caregivers living in impoverished communities.

The recent maternal and child health camps served 8,250 children and 694 adults, providing interventions such as Vitamin A supplementation, deworming and health education through Holt’s Child Nutrition Program. Children and families also received treatment for prevalent conditions including malaria, chronic coughs, influenza and skin infections. Children with more complex health issues were referred to health specialists.

Thanks to the support of sponsors and donors, families receive one-on-one support and benefit from community events— like camps — that provide training to help them nurture their child’s growth and development. When children are healthier, they are more likely to meet developmental milestones, perform better in school and their families miss less work — enabling them to earn more income for their household!

China

In China, Holt’s family strengthening programs focus on education to lift children and families out of poverty. Child sponsors and donors provide the critical support needed to help children attend school for as long as possible — creating generational change for thousands of families.

During August, ten students from the Shangyi Family Strengthening (FS) program attended a five-day summer camp held by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Jiangxi Province. Through the generosity of Holt donors, these students attended the summer camp free of cost.

The field trip included hands-on aeronautic and astronautic experiences, inspiring the students to develop their professional skills and explore possible career paths. For children in Holt programs, experiences like these help broaden their horizons beyond the limited career opportunities they witnessed growing up in impoverished communities.

Cambodia

According to Holt-supported students in Cambodia, donors and sponsors are making a big difference.

Recently, students were given an assessment through the Educational Support Program (ESP) in Phnom Penh. All students reported that Holt Cambodia’s ESP has helped them remain in school, with 86.96% strongly agreeing and 13.04% agreeing. Furthermore, almost all children (91.3%) who participated in the assessment strongly agreed and 8.7% agreed that ESP support has motivated them to pursue higher education.

In late July, 83 children in the ESP completed their Grade 9 National Diploma Exams and 71 successfully passed to Grade 10. Without support from Holt sponsors and donors, many of these children would have dropped out as early as in primary school. For children growing up in poverty around the world, education is the key to a brighter future.

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The post Notes from the Field: September 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

When Nalini was just a baby, her father abandoned his family — leaving her mother, Asha, to care for two children on her own.

Scared and unsure of the future, Asha packed up all their belongings and left their village in Tamil Nadu. Jobs were scarce in her village, especially for a single mother…

With her two children in her arms and all the money she had, Asha headed toward the city of Bangalore in search of opportunity and hope.

A New Start

An estimated 600 million internal migrants live in India, driven from rural villages to crowded cities like Bangalore in search of work. Millions of migrants, like Nalini and her family, live in poverty — only now in an overcrowded and overwhelming urban setting. Many have trouble finding jobs, often due to language barriers. Internal migrants come from all over India, a country where more than 1,600 languages — including dialects and tribal tongues — are spoken.

With great perseverance, Asha found a job as a housemaid. But when her employers discovered she’d have to bring her two young children along, she faced an impossible decision.

“I didn’t know where to leave my kids because I needed to work,” Asha says, her eyes gleaming with tears. “And if I brought my kids to my place of work, they would not give me a job.”

Like many children in migrant communities in India, 2-year-old Nalini and her 5-year-old brother were left home alone while their mother worked.

Asha kissed them goodbye and locked the door behind her — doing what she could to keep them safe in her absence. Nalini and her brother were too young to be left alone. But even older children face real dangers when left unsupervised in the slums, including the risk of trafficking and exploitation.

Asha could only bear to leave her children alone for a couple of hours, but that meant sacrificing the income they needed to survive. She could barely afford daily essentials, let alone daycare. She didn’t know where to turn.

That’s when she found a Holt-supported childcare center, and everything changed.

Hope for Migrant Families in India

When Nalini was 2 and a half, her mom heard about a childcare center free to migrant families. Now she could work without worrying about her children’s safety. She could earn an income to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

Holding her children’s hands, she walked into the childcare center, a four-story building in the middle of several impoverished neighborhoods of migrant families. The smell of cooking spices filled the air, hinting at a fresh meal to come later in the day. Women in colorful saris greeted the children, taking their hands to lead them into the classroom.

“I would drop them here at 9 a.m. and pick them back up at 4 p.m.,” Asha explains. “I was able to work those long hours because both of my kids were taken care of.”

The Child Development Center (CDC) is run by Holt’s partner organization in Bangalore, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), and has served nearly 17,000 children since opening in 2013. Designed for underserved migrant families, the CDC offers free, nurturing daycare and a strong early foundation for education.

What began in one neighborhood has expanded across Bangalore, with vibrant centers planted in areas where childcare is scarce. And while the CDC is the only option most migrant families have, the standards VCT holds are high — often exceeding those of costly private daycares. Using a Montessori approach, the CDC fosters holistic development with a focus on life skills, values and developmental milestones.

Children ages 2-6 are grouped into four classrooms — Caterpillars, Pupa, Butterflies and Bunnies — with Bunnies “hopping” into formal school when ready. Younger classes focus on sensory and motor skills through play-based learning. With children from diverse linguistic backgrounds, teachers use a language-inclusive approach to ensure every child feels seen and understood.

An Early Foundation

Now 13, Nalini sits with her mom at a small blue plastic table, just down the hall from her first classroom at the CDC. Ten years have passed since Nalini started preschool here. In the background, children sing a song about rollie pollies.

“I wish I could come to [the CDC] because I want to study here again. But I am grown up now, so I can’t,” Nalini says, smiling. “When I was small, I learned English here. They taught me rhymes and songs. I liked singing most.”

After building an early foundation of cognitive, social and emotional skills, older classes offer structured and experiential learning — helping students prepare for formal school.

In her Bunnies classroom, Nalini volunteered to be a leader. Each day, she helped sort vegetables for mealtime.

“When I was small, I liked [Ms. Shanthi, my teacher], because she was teaching well,” Nalini remembers, giggling. “She wanted to make me a leader, so I said, ‘I will lead everything in class.’”

Shanthi is a tall woman with kind eyes and a calm presence. Dressed in a light teal sari and gold bangles, she exudes warmth and patience. She has been teaching in the Bunnies classroom for 10 years. She used to work as a teacher at a formal school, which helps her prepare her students who will soon transition to a more formal learning environment. Giving students opportunities to lead, she encourages them to be active learners.

“I’d like to tell students that they [have] a great opportunity to study in this school. They should not miss this opportunity because this is good education,” Nalini says of the CDC.

For many families, the CDC offers an opportunity of a lifetime. One that will change the trajectory of their children’s lives. Because without an early educational foundation, children are behind their peers in school.

A Path to Success

Nalini’s older brother, Tejas, was one of these students.

Three years older than Nalini, Tejas was just old enough to attend formal school when they moved to Bangalore.

“When I put my son in school, he did not know how to read. He did not know anything,” Asha says. “I asked [the staff] if I could bring him to the [CDC] and he came here for one year.”

That one year made a vast difference. With support from teachers who knew Tejas and how to encourage his growth, he excelled. After graduating from the CDC, Tejas moved into formal school with the support of a Holt sponsor.

“Now he’s the first in the class. His school even thinks he will get a college scholarship,” Asha says, smiling proudly. “The only reason for all of this is because of Vathsalya.”

Holt-supported early education programs, like VCT’s, provide a launching pad for students to succeed in school. But the support from Holt sponsors is critical — providing the momentum and the financial backing for students to keep going.

Education in India

When she was 6, Nalini moved on to formal school with the support of Holt sponsors, who helped cover the cost of her fees and supplies.

“My favorite subject is English,” Nalini says. “I want to learn more English because I want to visit other countries … I want to visit South Korea and America. Wherever [I can go], I’d like to visit.”

Nalini is confident and well-spoken. She’s artistic, kind and ambitious. She’s the top of her class — something she says she’s proud of. For a girl from a slum community, Nandini ranking highest in her class is an especially great achievement. Still today, girls face gender barriers in India. In many communities, families prioritize their sons’ education over their daughters’. When resources are scarce, girls are more likely to drop out early to help support their family while their brothers attend school. Once they drop out, girls are also more likely to get married at young ages. 

We ask Nalini if she thinks it’s important for girls to go to school. She nods.

“Because in India, education is very important. Some parents did not study, and they did not get a good education,” she explains.

For many girls growing up with a similar background to Nalini, school is not guaranteed — and few have access to higher education. But thanks to her sponsors, Nalini can continue her education without the fear that this year might be her last.

We ask, “Do you think it’s harder for girls to go to school than boys?”

“No, it’s not,” Nalini says confidently. “Because India girls are very strong. They are very brave. They don’t need to worry.”

Mother and Daughter

Asha is one of those strong and brave women in India, migrating from the only home she’d known to a big city — all for the possibility of providing the best life for her children.

We ask Nalini, “What is something you love about your mom?”

“Everything I love, because she gave her life for us. Because she works hard, I want to study well,” Nalini says, looking at her mom. “I’m very grateful to my mother. She works very hard for us.”

Nalini’s mom, Asha, is part of VCT’s Income Generation Program (IGP), which has empowered her with practical training. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, she learned tailoring, sewing and job skills to earn supplemental income to support her family. She also recently started a new job as a helper at a petrol pump, now earning a salary that allows her to better support her family’s needs. She has grown in confidence and leadership, and even found meaningful community and friendships through VCT.

Once when Nalini was young, Asha joined a group of moms and their children for an end-of-the-year dance performance. Each week, Nalini and her mom practiced their dance routine during the afternoon at the CDC. Many of the children also had single moms who Asha could relate to — giving her the community support she needed. The weekly rehearsals were just as precious as the heartwarming performance — Nalini and her mom spending time together, sharing a special mother-daughter bond.

Asha tears up as she tells us how much sponsorship and VCT’s support have meant to her. It’s been life-changing — not just for her, but for Nalini and Tejas.

“Because of VCT, both my kids are what they are today,” Asha says. “VCT will call us and ask questions, inquiring about our needs. No relatives like this ever inquire about us, but everyone in Vathsalya calls and inquires. Be it clothing or whatever, they call and say, ‘Nalini, here are some clothes for you.’ Be it a pencil, they give us everything and help us. Thank you very much.”

In Kannada, the local language in Bangalore, Vathsalya means parental love. There’s no better fitting name for VCT.

Agency to Choose Her Future

Without sponsorship, many girls living in poverty are forced to drop out of school. They face real threats of early marriage or child labor. Without support for tuition and school costs, many parents feel that the cost to educate a girl is too much.

We ask Nalini, “Some girls get married early. What would you say is a good age to get married?”

Nalini stops and thinks for a moment. “I think after they get a nice job and are educated. Then, when they feel comfortable and they’re settled in their life, I think they can get married,” she says.

Thanks to sponsorship, Nalini holds the agency to choose: marriage, education, a career — her future is hers to shape.

When we ask what Nalini wants to be when she grows up, her mom smiles and tells us, “When she was young, she played with a toy stethoscope.”

Nalini, embarrassed, covers her face with her hands and laughs.

“I would really like her to study well, go abroad and take good care of herself. But it’s not in my hands,” Asha continues.

A Girl with a Dream

Dressed in her 8^th grade school uniform, Nalini sits in a tiny, yellow child’s chair in the CDC classroom. At one time, this chair would have been the perfect size for her. When she first arrived at the CDC, it may have even been too big. But she’s grown a lot since then.

“I would like to be a doctor, because I’m very interested in science,” Nalini says. “Now, I’m trying to learn new things in science [about] humans and animals because I like research. I hope I’ll become a doctor.”

Sharmila Hepzibah, VCT’s executive director, turns toward Nalini and says, “Can you write a letter to me to say that this is what you would like to do? … I’d like to try and connect you to people who are doctors or studying science, because it’s not very easy to go to medical school. It’s very difficult. If many people are applying, very few get to go.”

She offers to check-in with Nalini monthly to help her connect with doctors in the field — and take steps toward her future.

For a girl growing up in a migrant community, many barriers stand between her and her dream. Generational poverty, limited access to quality education, health issues, threats like trafficking and child labor, gender discrimination and a lack of guidance all stand in the way of a girl reaching her full potential.

But because of the continued support she receives from her sponsors and the staff at VCT, Nalini has a path towards a bright future.

“Thank you, sponsors, for the great sponsorship. I am very thankful because you are helping us now,” Nalini says. “What to tell… no words are coming because you help us so much. Thank you.”

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The post No Words to Thank You appeared first on Holt International.

Tselmuun is a 4-year-old girl who lives in Mongolia with her family. She was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that impairs her body movement, muscle tone and coordination. Tselmuun is small for her age and has trouble feeding herself and eating certain foods. But thanks to your generosity, she is now getting all the help she needs to grow and thrive!

These days, Tselmuun attends a wonderful daycare center near her home, where the staff has received Holt’s Child Nutrition Program training. Because of your support, the teachers have learned how to properly feed and nourish children with disabilities, as well as help them eat and drink on their own. While Tselmuun is in their care each day, her teachers ensure she gets balanced and nutritious meals to support her optimal growth and development.

Tselmuun enjoys going to daycare and engaging with the other children. She plays with toys and listens to music, often trying to sing along and move rhythmically. Even though she has trouble speaking, Tselmuun smiles and uses short phrases to express her joy and happiness.

Tselmuun shares a strong emotional bond with her family members, who provide her with consistent love and care. Both she and her family are grateful for all the support Tselmuun receives from her sponsors, and to thank them, Tselmuun created a colorful finger painting!

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The post Tselmuun Is Growing Strong, Thanks to You! appeared first on Holt International.

Colorful saris and shirts are strung up to dry in the street, flowing in the breeze, as we wait to meet a 10-year-old girl on her way home from school.

Months ago, we featured a drawing that a sixth-grade girl in Pune, India drew for her sponsors in the U.S. The pencil and crayon drawing depicts a girl standing next to a house. Trees and flowers sprout from a green lawn. A flock of birds glides in the air. Today, we will meet this little girl — and see her home.

A Glimpse of Her Life

As we wait, listening to the orchestra of beeping horns and motorbike engines, a little girl appears. Dressed in her school uniform — a cheery yellow polo shirt with a set of dark pants — she gives us a shy smile. Her dark curls are drawn back into pigtails with two white ribbons fluttering like butterflies on each side.

Shreedevi leads us to her home, weaving through a couple of alleyways — no more than five feet wide — dodging motorbikes and stacks of buckets that line the street. The day is warm, and the air is heavy with humidity. The cement streets are wet with dishwater from women scrubbing in buckets on their doorsteps.

She nods to us as she approaches a tan, two-story apartment. The plastic siding is adorned with printed ivy and white flowers. She leads us up two flights of stairs to her home. While we slip off our shoes, Shreedevi’s little brother pokes his head out.

As we step into her home, Shreedevi motions for us to sit on the bed. The room is barely 100 square feet — just enough for a single twin bed, a small wardrobe, a bathroom enclosed in a closet and a tiny kitchen tucked in the corner. Running water is only available for three hours in the morning. For the other 21 hours, her family must fetch water from down the street and carry it back in jugs.

“This is my home,” Shreedevi says, smiling.

A One-Room Home

With three children and Shreedevi’s mom and dad, a total of five live here, in this one room.

Shreedevi has two little brothers, ages 6 and 8. The youngest sits quietly on the bed while he pencils in the names of fruits in his school workbook. I hear a rustling noise and peer under the bed, where the other brother lies with a mischievous grin, holding a soccer ball.

Her family has lived in this room for six years. When Shreedevi was a toddler, she and her parents moved to Pune from a small village in Karnataka, a neighboring state.

“It was a remote place. There was no work opportunity there,” Shreedevi’s mom says. “There are educational schools there, but not like Pune, which are much more advanced than in the village.”

Paavani, Shreedevi’s mom, works as a babysitter in the community. She has kind eyes and wears an indigo kurta with jade green bangles.

Before hearing about sponsorship through Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt’s longtime partner in India, Paavani says life was really difficult.  

“We are from a very poor background. Sometimes I had to leave my three children back at home and go to work,” she says, looking off into the distance. “It was very difficult to manage with three kids and the house expenses. We were not aware of anyone giving support. But we heard about a few families who are under support [from Holt]. From them, we got to know about BSSK.”

Because Shreedevi is in Holt’s child sponsorship program, her education, healthcare and food are covered. Even when her family may face financial hardship, the generous support of sponsors ensures that she can stay in school or receive the medical care she needs if she is sick.

When struggling with finances, many families living in poverty are faced with no choice but to take their children out of school. The cost of books, uniforms and other school supplies can overwhelm families who are scraping by month by month.

And often, girls are the first to be pulled out of school due to cultural norms, especially in slum communities where economic pressures are high. Sadly, when girls don’t stay in school, they face the risks of child labor or early marriage.

“Early marriages cut short their childhood, compromise their health and trap them in cycles of poverty,” says Chaitrali, a member of BSSK’s educational support team. “Keeping girls in school is one of the most powerful ways to protect their rights, ensure dignity and unlock their potential to shape a better future.”

And because of the support of sponsors, Shreedevi’s future looks bright.

A Girl with Dreams

When she grows up, Shreedevi would like to be a police officer.

Paavani smiles. “I am confident that Shreedevi is going to grow up big and become independent,” she says. “Since your help, my children have become smarter and more active than before.”

While we talk, Paavani pulls out a Marathi-to-English chart that they use to practice at home. Paavani encourages her children to practice language every day. At school, Shreedevi’s lessons are taught in both Marathi and English.

Marathi is the local language in Pune, one of 1,600 languages spoken in India.

“My favorite subject is math,” Shreedevi says eagerly. “And… Marathi is my least favorite.”

Most days, Shreedevi’s father takes her to school on his motorbike. He works as a driver around Pune. Some days she walks to school instead, which takes 15 minutes.

Shreedevi shares that she likes playing kho kho, a tag game, with her friends at school. She also likes to read books. Sadly, her school doesn’t have a library.

Instead, she visits the BSSK library program, called Kahaniyon ki Duniya, or World of Stories. Supported by Holt sponsors and donors, the library is located at the DEESHA in the heart of the slum community where Shreedevi lives.

The DEESHA stands for Development of Education Environment Social Health Awareness. But in Marathi, disha means “direction” or “guidance.” There is no better name to describe this place.

Children and teens gather here after school. Some come to read at the library, while others come for help with schoolwork. BSSK social workers check in, making sure every child is safe and supported. Each day, students gather for a guided discussion. These are special, age-appropriate sessions where they discuss healthy relationships, domestic violence, inequality, child marriage and more.

Their mothers come to the DEESHA too. In group trainings, they learn about nutrition, hygiene and parenting. They learn a lot — like the importance of feeding their children a diverse and nutritious diet, why their children should wash their bare feet before stepping into their homes or why time for self-care is important for parenting.

This is a special place — one that is breaking the cycle of poverty. And it’s in the middle of Shreedevi’s neighborhood.

A Place of Imagination

Last year, Shreedevi read 40 books at the library program. She even got an award and a medal for her reading. Her goal is to read 60 books this year.

“Storybooks and Hindi books are my favorite,” Shreedevi says.

The library program provides a safe space for children to come and read. Instead of focusing on academic books, the program encourages children to explore stories with wonder and freedom.

“When they read at school, they are expected to determine a moral judgement or give a report about the book. They are scared of answering questions,” says Vaishali, BSSK’s educational support program director. “But we don’t want them to fear books. We want them to realize that books are not scary. We want the children to touch them and make the books their own.”

BSSK provides books of all types and reading levels, rotating the collection every couple of weeks. For two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, children from all around the community show up at the World of Stories library program to read.

Like a sanctuary, the DEESHA provides a safe place for children to go every day. The space is quiet yet vibrant, with woven mats laid across the tile floors for reading. Butterflies and tigers are painted on the outer wall beside a rainbow hopscotch — its colors faded by years of joyful play.

This peaceful place of imagination and wonder stands in stark contrast to the loud, cramped streets of the surrounding slum community.

Shreedevi’s home is only a 10-minute walk away.

The House of Her Dreams

As we talk in Shreedevi’s home, the soccer ball rolls around the floor as her two brothers dribble back and forth.

Shreedevi enjoys listening to music and dancing. She likes to play badminton with her friends. She also mentions that she likes to draw.

I nod, pulling a little pencil and crayon drawing from my bag. As I place her drawing in her hands, Shreedevi’s eyes widen and she grins, speaking quickly in Marathi.

“She is so shocked to see her drawing come back,” Vaishali translates, smiling. “She is very happy to see something she has made.”

Shreedevi holds her drawing in her hand — and for the rest of the visit, doesn’t let it go.

The green lawn and the flowers are so vibrant that they seem to sprout off the page. I ask Shreedevi about this home.

“In the future, I want to have this kind of house,” she explains. “It has flowers. It has a tree. And the house is by itself.”

Where Shreedevi lives, there are no flowers. There are no trees. Few homes have much more than a doorway to let in natural light. The buildings rise close together, blocking out the sky. One-room homes are stacked on top of one another — a living space shared by four, five, six or more family members.

Her dream home has open spaces. A place to play. A yard to run around in, with flowers and trees. A space that is just for her — to grow and dream.

Mother and Daughter

Paavani squeezes her daughter’s arm as they look at the drawing together. She calls Shreedevi “sweetie” at home.

“I am happy she is able to put her dream on the paper. I wish that she would have a house like this in the future,” Paavani says.

When Paavani was 17, she was arranged to be married. She tells us that she graduated from high school and then her parents sent her to meet her husband.

“Because we lived in such a remote place, the studies of the school were not advanced enough for me to get a job there or study further. That’s why my parents got me married,” Paavani tells us. “They married me into another poor family. If they could have given me a good family, maybe my life would be different. My in-laws assured my parents that they would educate me further, but they never did that.”

Shortly after getting married, she had children, and the responsibilities of keeping her household became a lot to carry.

“I don’t want the same thing to happen to Shreedevi or any girl — to get married so early with so many responsibilities,” Paavani says, sadly. “I want my children to have a good school, because I came from a remote area where there were not many facilities. Every girl and every boy should have a good school.”

Shreedevi sits on the bed, watching her mom speak. We ask her what age she thinks is a good time to get married.

“Thirty years or more,” Shreedevi says, matter-of-factly. “You should get married after 30 because there are a lot of things to do when you are living in your parents’ house. Once you get married, there are a lot of responsibilities and you’re not able to achieve your dreams. You have to play someone else’s dream. To achieve your own dream, you should not get married early.”

Free to Dream

Some girls living in poverty in India are afraid to dream.

Some girls are pulled out of school to work as domestic servants and help their families earn income. Statistically, girls who get married young are likely to experience domestic violence. Girls often become isolated from family and friends, sometimes even moving across the country to be with their new spouse. And with the responsibilities of being a young wife and mother in India, housework and early motherhood take up their time — leaving little margin to continue education. And if a girl did have a dream, it usually dissolves.

For girls, the monthly support of a child sponsor protects her education — and her future. As a girl reaches her late teenage years, families don’t feel pressured to marry their daughters because of the cost of education.

An education means opportunity. It’s the chance for a girl to pursue her dreams.

“If she couldn’t go to school… it would be miserable — a very bad life,” Paavani says, looking at her daughter. “But when I found out Shreedevi was sponsored, I felt calm. Especially Shreedevi being a girl, I feel very happy for [sponsorship] because otherwise life would be difficult for her. Please continue helping her.”

Paavani gently places her arm around Shreedevi as a warm breeze wafts through the open door.

“Someone from so far away is sending help to us,” Shreedevi says, smiling with bright eyes. “Thank you for your help.”

Send a Child to School

Every child deserves a chance to learn — help children in poverty get an education.

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The post The House of My Dreams appeared first on Holt International.

India

Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt’s long-time partner in Pune, recently organized a successful tree planting drive, which allowed children and staff to plant a variety of saplings in and around BSSK centers. The initiative emphasized the importance of environmental responsibility and encouraged hands-on learning and teamwork. From digging in the soil to watering the young plants to watching them grow, every step of the process was filled with enthusiasm, care and a shared sense of purpose!

China

Children living at a Holt sponsor- and donor-supported HIV group home in Nanning recently attended a five-day summer camp. The children spent half the day playing in the fields and getting exercise and half the day taking part in events that built their social skills and enhanced their mental health. Twelve children from the local community were also invited to join in the camp activities. In addition, a Chinese adoptee from the U.S. volunteered at the group home for two months this past summer, engaging with and encouraging the children.

In China, HIV is not well understood, and carriers of the disease — even children — face intense stigma and prejudice. But since 2013, Holt sponsors and donors have supported several group homes for children with HIV in China. With your support, children living in these homes receive everything they need — from food and medical care to school tuition. For children who have lost their parents to the disease, the group homes offer a loving family environment, where they are surrounded by caregivers and other children.

Korea

This past June, a group of 60 travelers embarked on Holt’s two-week Korea Heritage Tour. Of the group, 26 were Korean adoptees, ranging in age from 15 to 63, and 34 were adoptive parents, family members and friends. The 2025 tour marked the 50^th anniversary of the Korea Heritage Tour, which began in 1975 when Holt pioneered the concept of heritage tours for international adoptees.

This year’s tour participants had the opportunity to travel to national and historic sites to learn about Korea’s rich cultural heritage and to visit Holt sponsor- and donor-supported programs like the Ilsan Center, a long-term care facility for children and adults with disabilities or special needs. Some Korean adoptees had the chance to meet their birth families and foster families, as well as visit their birth cities and birth hospitals, thanks to the support of Holt’s post-adoption team. The Korea Heritage Tour is open to all Korean adoptees and adoptive families, whether or not their placing agency was Holt.

Mongolia

For more than 25 years, Holt sponsors and donors have transformed the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children in Mongolia. Each year, your life-changing support reaches over 7,250 children and families in need — providing vital services such as education for children living in and near Mongolia’s largest garbage dump, help for women and children escaping domestic violence, therapeutic care for children with special needs, emergency food programs, and more.

This fall, we invite you to extend your support by joining us on Holt’s Mongolia Vision Trip, which will take place from October 18 through October 25. Trip participants will travel to northern Mongolia, where they will help build traditional Mongolian homes (gers) for families in need and visit herding families who have received livestock through Holt’s Gifts of Hope. They will also meet other families in Holt-supported programs throughout Mongolia and enjoy the culture and natural beauty of the country.

Please reach out to Jordan Love at jordanl@holtinternational.org with questions or interest in this trip or future travel. 

Philippines

In July, the Philippines were lashed by a series of storms that brought heavy rains, high winds and widespread flooding to many parts of the island nation. The impact was especially felt in the impoverished communities where children and families in Holt-supported programs live. Many families were forced to leave their homes and seek shelter in evacuation centers, and many children lost personal belongings and school supplies due to the flooding.

But with the support of Holt donors and sponsors, our partner in the Philippines was able to mobilize emergency care packages, including school supplies, hygiene kits and other essentials. These efforts helped affected children recover from the devastation and resume their education as soon as possible.

Thailand

Deadly clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border last July resulted in the evacuation of more than 100,000 children and families in five nearby provinces. In response to the crisis, Holt’s local partner, Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF), worked with the Department of Children and Youth to help address potential issues affecting young people. With your support, HSF also donated 1,200 cans of infant formula to evacuation centers in the affected areas.

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The post Notes from the Field: August 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Tigabu is a 7-year-old boy who lives in a rural area of Ethiopia. He shares his home with two brothers, a sister, his mother and grandparents, who are subsistence farmers.

Tigabu is a friendly and playful child who loves to help out around the house. He particularly enjoys fetching water and looking after the family’s cattle. Tigabu also loves going to school, where he attends class regularly each day — thanks to the generosity of his sponsors! Now in first grade, Tigabu is learning his numbers and how to read and write in English. Because of his sponsors, he is also learning about personal hygiene and receives regular health services.

In addition to providing Tigabu with the resources he needs to attend school, Holt sponsors and donors provide direct assistance to Tigabu’s school. With your help, the school has built four additional classrooms and rebuilt its playground to accommodate more children. Each year on their birthdays, the children are excited to receive personalized birthday cards from their sponsors in the U.S.

When not in school, Tigabu likes to play soccer and hopscotch with his friends. In September, he and his family will celebrate Enkutatash, the Ethiopian new year, and Meskel, a religious celebration that occurs at the end of the rainy season.

Tigabu is grateful for the support that he and his family receive from Holt sponsors, and to thank them, he created this drawing.

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The post Tigabu Says Thank You! appeared first on Holt International.

On June 1, children in Holt programs across the world celebrated International Children’s Day, thanks to the support of Holt sponsors and donors. Focused on making children feel special and valued, the day’s activities included games, singing, dancing, storytelling and movie screenings. The children also had the chance to create drawings and posters and to role-play around the themes of child safety, health and freedom of expression.

International Children’s Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries each year as a time to advocate for and champion the rights of children. The June 1 celebration has become an annual tradition for Holt and its overseas partners, providing an opportunity to celebrate every child and promote an environment where all children can thrive.

China

This past June, 37 participants — all Chinese adoptees and their families — embarked on Holt’s 2025 China Heritage Tour. Jian Chen, Holt’s longstanding vice president for our China regional programs, once again led this year’s tour of the country.

Participants visited some of China’s most famous sites, including the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, and traveled to the ancient Chinese capital of Xian and the southern city of Guilin, known for its dramatic landscapes. They also visited a farmer’s painting village in Hu County, took a cruise along the Li River and learned to make traditional Chinese food at a cooking school, among other activities. Families who wished to travel to their child’s birth city were able to do so for two nights before or after the main tour.

Holt’s China heritage tour is open to families of children adopted from any province and through any agency. This year’s tour offered adoptees and their families a time to bond and support one another — and at the end of the trip, Holt presented each adoptee with a traditional Chinese outfit, called a qipao.

Since 1992, Holt has united more than 7,000 children from China with adoptive families in the U.S. (Visit Holt’s Tours page to learn more about opportunities to travel with Holt on heritage tours and vision trips.) And while Holt’s China adoption program is now closed, we encourage families to explore our two other adoption programs in the region — in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Ethiopia, Uganda

Nearly half the population of Africa is under the age of 18. And each year since 1991, African nations have celebrated the Day of the African Child to raise awareness about the rights and wellbeing of African children, particularly in regard to education, healthcare, protection and a safe environment.

On June 16, Holt Ethiopia commemorated the Day of the African Child in collaboration with the regional government and local partner organizations. Thanks to the support of Holt donors and sponsors, Holt Ethiopia donated more than 5,000 educational supplies to orphaned and vulnerable children who are at risk of dropping out of school due to lack of financial support.

Holt Uganda hosted Day of the African Child celebrations in the central Wakiso District under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Child Care and Protection in Uganda.” Roughly 1,500 children and 300 parents attended the event, during which government officials, Holt Uganda staff and youth from the community made speeches about the importance of child protection.

India

On June 21, millions of people around the world came together to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Yoga, which embraced the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health.” According to a Harvard Medical School study about yoga, 60 percent of participants with depression experienced significant symptom reduction after practicing yoga twice a week for eight weeks.

In India, Holt’s partner organizations, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK) in Pune and Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT) in Bangalore, organized special yoga sessions for children, introducing them to basic asanas, breathing techniques and mindfulness practices. At BSSK, the sessions were designed for all age groups and were guided by trained instructors. Children participated wholeheartedly, learning how yoga can help improve flexibility, concentration and emotional balance. The day served as a wonderful opportunity to instill healthy lifestyle habits in children and highlight the importance of physical and mental wellbeing.

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The post Notes from the Field: July 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Thitikarn is a 13-year-old girl who lives in Thailand with her parents and three younger siblings. Her mother maintains a steady job as a hospital worker, while her father is employed as a contract worker. With four young children to raise, Thitikarn’s parents often face financial worries, particularly in regard to paying for their children’s school fees. But thanks to your generosity, Thitikarn now has the opportunity to continue her education!

Thitikarn wakes up at 7:30 a.m. each day and gets ready for school on her own. She attends a nearby school, where she is about to enter seventh grade. Thitikarn expresses herself openly, showing her natural confidence and desire to connect with others.

When at home, Thitikarn helps her mother cook rice, wash dishes and care for her younger siblings. She is especially close to her mom, often sharing stories about her day with her. Thitikarn eats dinner with her family at 6 p.m. and goes to bed by 10 p.m. every night.

Before the school year ended, Thitikarn wrote this letter of appreciation to her sponsor, thanking them for their support:

Dear Sponsor,

My name is Thitikarn. I’m a sixth grade student. Starting a new semester, I am very excited and happy to meet new friends. I enjoy going to school every day. During the last school holiday, I did many activities at home, such as helping my mother cook, wash the dishes and take care of my younger siblings. Last June, I did the Wai Khru ceremony [to honor my teachers] and sports competitions. Finally, I would like to thank you and your family for always supporting my education.

With all due respect,

Thitikarn

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The post Thank You for Sponsoring My Education! appeared first on Holt International.

Chuluunchimeg is a 2-year-old boy who lives in Mongolia with his parents and older sister. Born with a serious medical condition, Chuka — as he is known to his family and caregivers — is small for his age, has developmental delays and requires constant care and attention. His mother stays at home to look after him, while his father takes on any work he can find.

Because Chuka’s family does not have a stable income, they rely on the generosity of Holt sponsors to provide for his needs. Through your support, Chuka receives speech therapy and other specialized treatments, medication and nutritious meals. He also travels to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, for regular health checkups.

Chuka is close to his mother and likes to be hugged. She holds him close to her chest when she feeds him. Chuka grows happy when he is fed his favorite foods — bananas, creamy soups and rice with milk. Though Chuka is unable to speak, he communicates with his eyes to show affection toward his family.

To thank Chuka’s sponsors for their support, his older sister sent this photo and letter on her brother’s behalf:

Hello! Greetings of the day when this letter reaches you. Thank you very much for supporting my cute little brother. My little brother got milk, yogurt, clothes and many other necessary things. I am sincerely grateful for [you] supporting my little brother.

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Connect with a child. Provide for their needs. Share your heart for $43 per month.

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The post Thank You for Supporting My Little Brother! appeared first on Holt International.