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.”

Become a Child Sponsor

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The post No Words to Thank 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.

Growing up in Vietnam, Thoa rose every morning at 4 a.m. to open her family’s noodle shop. Still dark outside, she would ride her bicycle to the market to buy vegetables and then work until it was time to go to school.

Even on cold, rainy mornings, she woke up before dawn — and summoned her two younger siblings from where they slept to help prepare the shop for breakfast. They were especially sleepy on cold winter mornings.

“The whole time growing up, I did not understand why I could not sleep every night,” shares Thoa, now a petite mother of two in her 50s with neat shoulder-length hair and a warm and gentle but hardworking nature.

Thoa’s sister later told her that they couldn’t sleep because they were cold — they couldn’t afford warm blankets.

Once Thoa graduated college and began to earn money, she bought high-quality blankets imported from Japan for her mom and siblings.  “The first thing I did when I made money was to buy good blankets for everyone,” she says.

Thoa has lived in the U.S. with her family since 2008 — and now serves as Holt’s senior advisor for international programs — but her childhood in post-war Vietnam is never far from her mind. She was one of seven children — nine including two siblings who both died of malaria within five days of each other.

Her family lived a relatively comfortable life near Danang, in central Vietnam. But when her father died suddenly of a stroke, her mother struggled to run his business and care for her children on her own.

Thoa was 7. Her mother was pregnant with her youngest sister at the time.

Slowly, they used up all the resources her father had left them, and Thoa watched as her family’s possessions began to disappear from their home. The black and white TV. The nice speakers from Japan. The refrigerator.

To provide for her seven children, her mom was forced to sell their belongings.

But Thoa’s mom was smart, resourceful and determined.  She decided to open a shop selling homemade breakfast noodles — a business that she knew how to run, and that she could manage while caring for Thoa and her siblings.  But with no savings and no collateral, she was forced to take out a loan at 20% interest per month — or, as Thoa calls it, a “shark loan.”

Loan sharks prey on people living in poverty, offering money they desperately need to start a business or just to buy food for their family — and then harass them for payment, aggressively demanding they give up the daily wages that are often all they have to live on. 

“It gets people into deep poverty, and they cannot really get out,” Thoa says. “They tear families apart … I think that’s when I started to have the realization of what poverty really means.”

Looking back, more than 40 years later, Thoa gets emotional thinking of that time in her life — and of what her mom had to go through to provide for her and her siblings. 

“It’s hard, as children growing up and seeing… loan sharks getting into your home every day and then yelling and screaming at your mother, demanding payment,” she says, trailing off as tears well up in her eyes. “That’s why I really believe in what Holt is doing — because it does help a lot of people.”

But it’s not just what Holt is doing. It’s what Holt sponsors and donors are doing with their heartfelt gifts to help families earn income — and overcome poverty — in countries around the world.

Donor-Funded Microloans: A Viable Path From Poverty

In the countries where Holt works — from Ethiopia and Uganda to Cambodia, India and Vietnam — many parents feel helpless to support their children when jobs are scarce and stable work requires specialized skills or higher education that’s often inaccessible to families living in poverty.

Households headed by single parents — especially single mothers — are often the most vulnerable.

In some countries, such as Korea and the Philippines, Holt sponsors and donors help provide job skills training to single mothers facing stigma and discrimination. In most cases, Holt empowers women like Thoa’s mom — women who suddenly find themselves the sole providers for their children after their husband dies or leaves the family.

Sometimes it’s the gift of a sewing machine from Holt’s Gifts of Hope catalog that comes with small business training so a mother learns how to sew and sell clothing for profit. It may be gardening tools so a family can grow vegetables to eat, selling the surplus in a nearby marketplace. Or the gift of a goat, chickens or a cow — providing abundant milk and eggs for a family.

But quite often, it’s a small business microgrant or zero-interest loan that empowers a mother to start her own unique business — one that meets a need in her community and that provides enough stable and reliable income for her to provide for herself and her children.

The predatory lending practices to which Thoa’s mom fell prey are now banned in the U.S., but they are still rampant in developing countries around the world.

Had her mom had access to a zero-interest microloan to start her noodle shop, Thoa says she never would have endured abuse and harassment from loan sharks. Like the women in Holt microloan programs today, she would have saved all the money she earned to support her children — instead of falling deeper into debt.

“There was nothing like that — there was no Holt, for example, offering microloans at that time,” Thoa says.

Holt’s first income-generating program actually began in Vietnam, just before the end of the war in 1975. Like today, Holt supported care centers for children who had been orphaned or whose families couldn’t care for them. But our team in country soon recognized that in many cases, struggling families could in fact care for their children — given the support and resources they needed.

“They were seeing a lot of birth parents coming in saying they wanted to relinquish their child,” explains John Williams, who helped develop Holt’s first income-generating program in Vietnam and later served as Holt president and CEO. “If given an alternative to consider keeping their family together, that’s what they were looking for. They just were under so much stress — their child was suffering from malnutrition, health issues, etc.”

But when Holt offered help to support their child and keep their family together, they no longer wanted to relinquish their children. Within a few months, Holt’s first income-generating program was thriving.

“It was much like many of [Holt’s] family strengthening programs today,” John says. “The role of social workers and case workers was to determine what the interests, abilities and skills of the family were. … It was all about finding out what the interests of the community or village were and helping them develop that interest into an income-generating program that created independence, not dependency.”

Like today, families started small businesses like sewing or tailoring, or raised animals like ducks or chickens to provide sustainable food and income. The goal was to help each family get on their feet and provide for their children, keeping the family together.

“It was the first time that Holt began to broaden its services to children with a list of priorities — preserve the birth family, domestic adoption, international adoption …with no one being better than the other,” John says, describing the model of service that Holt has long ascribed to, and later advocated for when we sent delegates to help draft the Hague Convention on the Rights of the Child. “It’s based on the best interest of the child.”

But as the war ended, Holt left the country — and didn’t return until they could safely reestablish programs and fully serve children and families again, in 1989.

Thoa didn’t start working for Holt Vietnam until nine years later, in 1998. She later traveled to the U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship to earn a master’s degree in social work, and then began working with children and families living in other countries where Holt works — particularly in South and Southeast Asia. 

What she saw when she first traveled to these regions reminded her of what she’d seen growing up in Vietnam after the war — extreme poverty, and predators looking to exploit people in desperate situations.

“When I travel to Cambodia, India, and I see signs saying, ‘Hey, if you need loans, quick loans, call this number’ … that’s exactly how the poor people get into the trap … That’s why I really love the models of grants or microloans, or the self-help groups that we have in Cambodia,” Thoa says, referring to a model Holt developed in Cambodia where families collectively save their money and then provide low-interest loans to group members so they can start or grow small businesses.

After developing microloan programs in Cambodia and Vietnam, Thoa encouraged Holt’s partners in India to replicate the model.

“I said, ‘We don’t have the income-generating program in this country, but I see you have a lot of advertising for loans for poor people … and let me share with you what happens when these poor people keep tapping into that money,’” Thoa says she shared with Hepzibah Sharmila, who leads our partner organization, VCT, in Bangalore. Thoa traveled with Sharmila to Vietnam and other countries to show her how Holt’s income-generating model works — and to introduce her to families that had successfully graduated from the program.

“When we give them $200, $300, then that helps the mother start a small business and achieve financial independence. And from there, they can provide for the basic needs of their children,” Thoa says. “But if they don’t have these opportunities, they would go to the loan sharks. And they could never get out. Their children could never get out, and they could never escape poverty.”

Driven to Live a Different Life

Deep in debt to loan sharks, with seven children to support, Thoa’s mom continued to struggle well into Thoa’s teen years. She was so exhausted that she often fell asleep on the floor of their home.

“It was so tiring, you know, to raise seven different children all by yourself … All the children were so small and young and everybody needed education. Everybody needed food,” Thoa says.

But like so many hardworking mothers and fathers and grandparents in Holt programs today, Thoa’s mom could still hardly afford to feed her children.   

One time, when Thoa was sick, her mom was able to purchase a small portion of meat that she guarded from her other children — giving it to Thoa so that she could regain her strength.

“My mom pointed to it and said, ‘Hey, this is just for you because you’re sick’ and nobody should touch that because I needed nutrition … Like a small portion of meat. And I was the only one who could have that meat,” Thoa says.

Thoa’s older siblings gave up on the dream of further education. But from a young age, Thoa knew that completing her education was more than just a dream. It was her way out.

When Thoa’s mom opened the noodle shop, Thoa was by her mom’s side — opening and closing and running the business every day.

“I worked very hard to help her, just because I love her so much and I understood, you know, how it was,” she says.

But every night, when she finally finished food and business prep around 9-10 p.m., Thoa shifted her focus — studying until midnight or the early hours of the morning.  “I really had this drive … I had to get out … I just could not foresee the rest of my life being like this,” she says. “So I studied very hard.”

When Thoa passed the university entrance exams, news spread quickly.

“The neighbors were so proud because it was very rare to see a kid [from our community] pass the university exam,” Thoa says. “We were so poor.”

No one felt more pride than Thoa’s mom. “I was excited. She was so proud,” Thoa says.

But Thoa also knew that her mom couldn’t afford the tuition. “I said, ‘Hey, you know, you already have so many burdens. I don’t want another burden on you. I will not go to university,” she told her, promising instead to find a job to help support her family.  

But then her mom said something that surprised her.

“She said that all her life she did not have a chance for education and that’s why her life is hard,” Thoa says of her mother, who never finished elementary school. “She believed education could give me a different life.” As Thoa was the first child in the family to pass the university entrance exam, her mom was determined to give her that opportunity.

 “Whatever I have to do, I will send you to university,” she told Thoa.

So she raised chickens. She ran the noodle shop. She sold some more of her belongings. And she asked her extended family for help. Some contributed small amounts as gifts. Others loaned her the money. Eventually, she cobbled together the tuition for Thoa’s first semester.

Like always, Thoa worked incredibly hard in school and was always the top one or two in her class. She earned scholarships from her grades. A good singer, she performed on stage for the university to get some additional scholarships.  And she worked any job she could find to pay for her degree and support her family. She promoted shampoos for Proctor & Gamble. She provided English tutoring. And she continued helping her mom in the noodle shop. Some of her professors learned about her situation and they offered her an opportunity to teach evening classes as well as a part-time job at the university. 

“Basically, what I did was I did everything on Earth,” she says.

But she saved everything she earned to support her education, and to support her mother and her family.

Later, once she graduated, she helped her mom get out of debt, and buy back all the appliances and furniture she had sold to support her and her siblings. She even helped her mom pay for her two younger siblings go to university, too. “Both are quite successful now in their lives,” Thoa says of her younger siblings. One went into economics, the other studied English.

Thoa says the mindset of helping your family and community is deeply rooted in her culture, as it is in many of the cultures and communities where Holt works around the world. “We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Thoa says — offering Holt’s university program in Cambodia as an example. Through this program, donors provide full scholarships for high-performing students from impoverished backgrounds to attend university. 

Through our partner KBF in the Philippines, Holt also empowers youth aging out of orphanages to gain independent living skills and go to college. After they complete their degrees and begin earning money, they often go back and help their siblings. Many even return to their communities to volunteer or even work as social workers or teachers.

“Many graduates become self-reliant and just want to give back what they have received through the program by mentoring, sponsoring or working in NGOs,” Thoa explains.

It’s the same motivation that drew Thoa to a humanitarian career devoted to helping children and families escape a life of poverty and desperation.

“I understand their struggles,” she says. “I understand what they’re going through … I just want every one of them to get out and have a better life.”

Looking back on her own life story — and on the many lives transformed through Holt programs around the world — Thoa says she profoundly believes in two of Holt’s donor-funded programs in particular to help children and families lift themselves a life of poverty: educational sponsorship, and programs that empower families to generate income.  

“To see these women who started to make money after they set up their shops, and then say, ‘Hey, I make good money’ … That’s how far small amounts of money can go when it goes to the right people in the right way at the right time. It changes people’s lives in a way that we cannot even imagine,” she says. “And we know they can now provide for their children’s medical, nutritional and educational needs.”

Thoa is especially thankful for the small donations she received from family members so that she could go to college — small donations that she compares to the microgrants Holt donors provide families in need today.

“[If not for those donations], I probably would have ended up quitting and become one of the sellers in the street like everybody else,” she says.

It All Traces Back to Her

Thoa’s mother passed away several years ago. But long before she passed, Thoa wrote her a letter. She had just left Vietnam and she wrote from the airplane, en route to her new life working for Holt in the U.S.

“’I just want you to know that without you and the sacrifice back in the day, there’s no way I could be where I am today,’” Thoa says she wrote. “I really wanted her to know that I knew it was a tremendous amount of sacrifice and undertaking and I wanted her to know that I was very grateful.”

Years later, at her daughter’s college graduation, Thoa again thought of her mother and the sacrifice she made. “I thought, ‘This is so profound. … At one point, I wanted to give up on my education because of thinking there was not enough money … And now, another generation of women — my daughter — can finish their college education. And it all traces back to her.”

Still today, Thoa always thinks of her mom whenever she visits families who have benefited from Holt’s income-generating programs — especially the single and widowed mothers who are caring for children on their own. 

“We visited this woman who was 76 years old, a grandma who was part of the income-generating program … I looked at her,” Thoa shares, “and I felt like, that’s my mother. And all these grandmothers and these mothers around the world who are struggling every day, but who are trying their best — every day — to provide for the basic needs of their children. They all hope and work hard for a better life for their children.”

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The post Why I Believe in Holt 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.

Cambodia

Since 2012, Holt donors have provided scholarships for 185 high-achieving students to attend college in Cambodia through its University Education program. The program offers everything from full tuition to English and computer classes, career counseling and a monthly stipend to help cover additional expenses. Most of the students come from rural impoverished communities, and most are the first in their families to attend college.

In 2016, the University of Cambodia launched a volunteer program to encourage university students to make an impact in their communities by dedicating their time, energy and resources to improving the livelihood of others. Recently, students in Holt’s University Education program took part in these volunteer efforts. Through community awareness workshops, the students addressed the impact of drug addiction in the province of Battambang and the importance of reading in the province of Kampot.

Ethiopia

An estimated 4.5 million children are orphaned or growing up without permanent families in Ethiopia. In an effort to reduce the number of children living in institutional care, the country’s Ministry of Women and Social Affairs has issued an Alternative Child Care Directive, which focuses on supporting local families to foster or adopt children living in orphanages. Now, thanks to Holt sponsor and donor support, Holt Ethiopia has partnered with the ministry to train child welfare professionals, service providers and community organizers in central Ethiopia to promote family-based care. Holt Ethiopia held the first of five workshops in March and will continue to hold trainings through September.

India

In the migrant communities of Bangalore, India, Holt sponsors and donors help keep children in the safe and loving care of their families. Poverty is one of the greatest causes of abandonment and family separation in these communities. Our local partner, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), works with migrant families to help them develop a stable source of income — often through donor-funded technical education and training.

In May, VCT held skills training courses for migrant women and single mothers as part of its Income Generation Program (IGP). Through its vocational training and entrepreneurial support, the program helps low-income women become more competitive in the local labor market. The IGP also develops initiatives to promote social networks among women that lead to better access to services and opportunities. The joint efforts between Holt and VCT have so far enabled more than 1,600 migrant women and single mothers to set up their own businesses or join public or private industries. These women now earn a sustainable wage that supports their needs and those of their families.

Thailand

Holt’s local partner in Thailand, Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF), recently organized two trips to the zoo for children living in foster care. The children and their foster families had a wonderful time viewing the animals, enjoying snacks and spending quality time together. Meanwhile, the social workers who accompanied the group were able to observe how the children reacted in various situations.

At any given time, between 90 and 100 children, ages birth to 6, live with HSF’s 90 foster families. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, foster families receive a monthly delivery of infant formula and baby supplies as well as a childcare subsidy. Foster care provides a more nurturing alternative to institutional care, offering a loving home for children while they wait to rejoin their family or join a family through adoption.

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

Thailand

In April, Holt’s partner in Thailand, Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF), held Songkran celebrations for children and families in orphan care and family strengthening programs. Songkran — one of Thailand’s most important holidays — is traditionally a time for family gatherings and honoring elders. While the official celebration spans April 13-15, many, including HSF, extend the festivities for an entire week. Communities typically enjoy the holiday with water fights, traditional dances and delicious foods like mango sticky rice and khao chae, flower-scented rice.

Through the generous support of sponsors and donors, HSF is able to provide special celebrations for children and families in need — creating meaningful, enriching experiences they’ll never forget.

To celebrate, HSF organized a variety of interactive activities that brought excitement and joy to children and families. Children played board games and outdoor games together, encouraging teamwork and creativity. Volunteers also led English lessons covering topics such as greetings and naming animals. The children eagerly participated, raising their hands to answer questions with enthusiasm.

HSF also held cooking classes where children learned to make traditional Thai desserts like bua loy — rice flour balls simmered in sweet coconut milk. HSF staff say that the cooking activities not only taught practical skills but also helped children grow in confidence.

India

Holt’s partner in Pune, India, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK) recently organized a vibrant summer camp program for children ages 10-15. Children who receive services through BSSK live at the center or in impoverished communities in and around Pune.

Children enjoyed painting, dancing, storytelling, drumming circles and more. They even learned to make sprouts bhel, a flavorful dish with mung bean sprouts, mango and spices.

Some summer camp activities were led by older children — a valuable opportunity for them to develop confidence, leadership and teamwork skills. According to BSSK staff, the camp was a memorable experience filled with bonding, learning and fun.

Holt’s partner in Bangalore, India, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), is making strides in providing educational support. For children living in impoverished communities, VCT child development teams provide vital support and guidance as they grow up. With encouragement and academic support, children stay on track with their studies and navigate challenges with confidence.

Recently, VCT organized a parent meeting to support families with students who are facing stresses from school life, academics and family issues. The evening covered a range of topics, including improving communication among family members, addressing behavioral challenges and developing healthy coping strategies for managing stress.

Holt sponsors and donors help support children and join BSSK and VCT in their efforts to empower young people growing up in difficult circumstances in India.

Uganda

One of the key pillars of Holt’s work in Uganda is early childhood care and development (ECCD). On April 30, Uganda celebrated National Children’s Play Day — becoming the first country to establish such a day since the UN resolution for an International Play Day.

National Children’s Play Day raises awareness about the transformative power of play in a child’s life and its critical role in healthy development. Children at ECCD centers in Uganda benefit daily from indoor and outdoor play equipment that supports their physical and cognitive development. On this special holiday, caregivers gave children extra time to play — and joined in the fun themselves!

Holt’s Village Health Teams (VHTs) also recently led food demonstrations at ECCD centers to further parents’ knowledge of nutrition, food preparation and safe handling practices. These presentations emphasized the connection between good nutrition and children’s physical and cognitive development. Nearly 1,700 caregivers across three districts participated.

Thanks to the support of sponsors and donors, families receive one-on-one support and benefit from community presentations — like food demonstrations — that provide training to help them nurture their child’s growth and development.

Colombia

Through Holt’s partner La Casa de la Madre y el Niño in Bogotá, Colombia, sponsors and donors help provide high-quality, nurturing care for orphaned and vulnerable children. As the largest institution registered to facilitate international adoption in Colombia, La Casa brings more than 75 years of experience to its work with children and families.

La Casa provides care for children living at Casa Imagina, a residential home for older children ages 10-17 who have special needs or face other barriers to adoption. Casa Imagina offers a warm, family-like environment with nourishing meals, health care and education. Through a new partnership with IdeaArte, children at the home can also now enroll in educational art classes, helping to grow their creativity and confidence.

Recently, four children entered Casa Imagina to prepare for adoption, and three children left to join permanent, loving families. Caregivers at the home receive specialized training to advocate and care for children waiting to join adoptive families. Once children are matched with families, caregivers help prepare them for the transition ahead. With one-on-one support, the children learn about culture, climate, language and, for many, what it means to be part of a family.

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

Shreedevi is a fifth-grade student who lives in India with her parents and two younger brothers. Her father works as a driver and her mother works in a food mall.  But despite all their hard work, the family still needs some extra help to pay for their daughter’s school fees.   

Fortunately for Shreedevi, her Holt sponsors provide that additional support so she can happily attend school each day! During the week, Shreedevi wakes up early and arrives at school by 7 a.m. Her lessons are taught in both English and her native Marathi, and she excels in math. Shreedevi makes friends easily and has many friends at school.

As part of her education, Shreedevi attends a library program called Kahaniyon ki Duniya, or World of Stories, made possible through the generous support of Holt sponsors and donors. Offered by Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt’s longtime partner in India, the program encourages children’s imagination and helps them discover their love of reading. Last year, Shreedevi read more than 40 books and hopes to read more than 60 this year.

When she’s not in school, Shreedevi helps her mother with simple chores around the house, participates in games and sports competitions, listens to the latest Marathi music, and likes to dance, draw and color.

To thank her sponsors for all they do — and for providing her with an education — Shreedevi created this colorful drawing of her home:

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The post Shreedevi Loves School — and Her Sponsors! appeared first on Holt International.

Colombia

Bambi, Holt’s partner organization in Colombia, recently held a workshop for parents and caregivers enrolled in its PROMEFA family strengthening program. During the workshop, mothers in the program learned how to create a “life timeline,” allowing them to understand where they are in life, their priorities and resources available to them. The program also helped mothers determine how they want to live their lives in order to end generational cycles of conflict and poverty. With the support of the group, the women expressed motivation to take steps to achieve their life and family goals.

Parenting education is an important pillar of Holt’s work in Colombia. Thanks to the support of sponsors and donors, families living in vulnerable, impoverished communities are receiving the help and resources they need to create a safe, secure and supportive environment for their children.

Ethiopia

Since 2017, Holt donors have supported an early childhood care and development (ECCD) program in an impoverished region of southern Ethiopia. Through this program, 1,500 children are able to receive a critical preschool education in a safe and nurturing environment while their parents work during the day.

Recently, through Holt’s Gifts of Hope program, families whose children attend the ECCD centers received gifts of chickens as well as the supplies to raise them. Raising livestock such as chickens can improve a family’s food security and create income-generating opportunities. For example, within a few months of hatching, chickens begin laying eggs, providing protein and other vital nutrients to growing children and families. In addition, families can sell their eggs or full-grown chickens at the market for a profit, using the money they earn to buy food and other essential items for their family. They can also invest their profits into raising more chickens, thus expanding their business and improving their long-term livelihood.

India

In March, Holt’s long-standing partner in Pune, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), held Holi celebrations for children who receive services through all four of its Holt-supported centers. Known as the springtime festival of colors, Holi is a major holiday in India. The children who receive services through BSSK either live at the center or in impoverished communities in and around Pune. As they rarely receive anything extra, the Holi celebrations were a special treat!

During the party, the children engaged in fun games and activities, which included dousing one another with vibrant colored powders known as “gulal.” The colored powders symbolize the arrival of spring and new beginnings. The Holi celebration strengthened bonds and spread happiness between the children and BSSK staff and reinforced the holiday’s spirit of unity, joy and festivity.

Uganda

Holt Uganda staff recently visited women in six rural communities to provide maternal health outreach and services. Thanks to your support, 1,995 women received health education materials, 330 pregnant mothers were tested for anemia and 256 pregnant mothers were given prenatal vitamins.

In late 2024, 60 health workers in Uganda received a revised version of Holt’s Child Nutrition Program Community Flipbook, which is used to support education for families on proper nutrition and health practices as well as child development and disabilities. Health workers from Holt partner health centers, Holt village health teams and Holt Uganda staff received training on how to use the new flipbooks, and each participating health center received a revised copy. During their recent visit to the six communities, Holt Uganda staff used the flipbooks to educate mothers on important issues of maternal and children’s health, including prenatal care and malnutrition.

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

Ethiopia

One of Holt’s local partners in Ethiopia, Sele-Enat, recently organized a Cancer Awareness Day in central Ethiopia, which many families in the community attended. Cancer is a public health crisis in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are not widely available, leaving families with few options for their affected loved ones. Sele-Enat’s Cancer Awareness Day event brought families together and provided hope for many. Medical professionals specializing in oncology gave presentations and led discussions for the attendees.

Sele-Enat also recently launched a community awareness campaign for children with autism. Autism is widely misunderstood in Ethiopia, leading to a severe shortage of services for children with this condition. Sele-Enat is working to educate the community about autism and autism spectrum disorder to promote inclusivity and understanding for all children and families. Raising awareness and providing education helps equip caregivers with the knowledge to offer the best care for every child and their needs.

Our partner, Sele-Enat, cares for children with autism and other developmental disabilities at their orphanage. They receive nutrition and medical support through Holt’s Child Nutrition Program, education support, as well as recreational and experiential activities to meet their social and psychological needs. Inclusive education is a priority for Holt and Sele-Enat to ensure children with disabilities and other special needs have access to learning environments in which they can thrive. Through the autism advocacy, Holt and Sele-Enat work to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder with the larger community. This helps to reduce stigma, inform parents, caregivers and educators about the needs of autistic children and ensure families are accessing education and other services they may need. This type of advocacy is essential to preserve and strengthen families, and it would not be possible without the support from Holt sponsors and donors.

India

Holt-supported students enrolled in higher education programs in Pune and Aurangabad recently took a field trip to explore careers in manufacturing. Through Holt’s local partner organization, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt sponsors and donors help support these students and join BSSK in their efforts to empower young people growing up in difficult circumstances in India.

The field trip included hands-on experiences and allowed students to observe vehicle production, robotic automation and other industrial technologies up close. The field trip inspired the students to develop their professional skills and explore possible careers paths. For children in Holt programs, experiences like these help broaden their horizons beyond the limited career opportunities they witnessed growing up in impoverished slum communities. This is especially true for many girls in India, who face greater gender discrimination and also marriage at a young age.

With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, BSSK has worked to change that since 1979. Through Holt sponsorships, educational workshops, career field trips and other support, children receive the tools they need to succeed and thrive.

Uganda

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with a median age of 16.2 years. And in the rural villages where Holt sponsors and donors support children, more than 30 percent of children ages 6 to 9 have never attended primary school.

Education is expensive in Uganda. The cost of school fees, books, supplies and uniforms is too high for families living in poverty. In rural areas, schools may also be too far for some children to walk to, and few families can afford boarding school fees.

Thanks to Holt sponsors and donors, our team in Uganda recently provided scholastic materials and school uniforms for 904 children at Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers. ECCD teachers also received teaching materials for the term, and the schools received food items such as fortified flour, sugar, eggs and bananas for mid-morning meals.

Your generosity not only provides nutritious meals each day for children in need — but also helps them focus in school, where both attendance and grades have improved!

Colombia

Holt partner Bambi in Colombia has served children and caregivers in an impoverished area of the city for more than 22 years, thanks to sponsor and donor support.

Bambi works to keep children with their birth parents, offering interventions and support to lift families out of poverty and prevent children from being separated from their families. Bambi provides vulnerable parents and caregivers with access to education, job training and childcare to help them gain financial independence and create a safe environment for their children. Caregivers can enroll in vocational courses, such as baking, sewing and cosmetology, or receive support to complete their secondary education. Parents and caregivers also have access to financial literacy and business training, weekly counseling and parenting groups with staff psychologists.

To ensure these caregivers can complete their education and training, Bambi provides 24/7 flexible childcare with health and nutrition screenings and early childhood education for children under age 5. Recently, Holt sponsors and donors helped to ensure the children in the daycare program received wellness and development checks. These evaluations help caregivers cater to the needs of each child and set goals for their development.

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