$25,001 to 75,000

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

Although Zimbabwe is ranked among the best in Africa for literacy rates, premature school dropout and subsequent income insecurity are rampant.  Credit facilities have little on offer for those who lack collateral security, thereby limiting their earning potential due to lack of investment.  Some are labour constrained, whilst others are labour endowed; but almost all destitute Zimbabweans are food poor and without means to support their household.

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

In March this year, Vanuatu tragically experienced its most extreme storm in recorded history.  Category 5 Cyclone Pam swept through the nation’s South, bringing devastation to more than 60 inhabited islands including Tanna, Santo and Port Vila.

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

Approximately 80% of deaf Ugandans cannot read or write and 70% cannot count to 10.  In the past, few deaf children have been given the opportunity to go to school, and those who did usually sat uncomprehending and ignored.

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

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

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

Much work has been done to standardise Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) so that the deaf across the whole nation can understand and communicate with one another, from Kisumu in the West to Mombasa in the East.  Now KSL is taught to an estimated 2 600 deaf children in 32 specialty primary schools.

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

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

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

Although the Indian family as a social institution is well known for the emotional and physical support that it provides to its extended members, it sometimes fails to respond to the needs of women, especially for women in difficult circumstances.