Shipment to India
Bhavani is a 42 year old fisherwoman who lives on the coast of south-east India. Her family has, for years, been totally dependent on the sea for its livelihood. Bhavani’s husband Muthu would sail out to sea each day at 4am, and Bhavani would sell his ‘catch’ at the local market. It was a precarious existence, however, and as the family grew, and their needs increased, it seemed that fish were getting more and more scarce. The income from Bhavani’s daily market sales was not enough to meet their needs for food, medicine and school fees. They had no option but to take out loans from a local moneylender. There was no way that Bhavani could keep up with the wildly inflated repayments and she was terrified of the violent moneylenders. She felt the family sink further and further into destitution and desperation. There seemed no way out...
Bhavani’s tribespeople live in southern India. Most have no access to electricity or clean water or formal healthcare. They frequently die young from diseases like tuberculosis, skin infections and, with no hope to reach for, alcohol-related illness. Many of the men have been trapped, like their fathers before them, in a situation of modern-day slavery, working without proper pay in rice mills.
Crossroads is preparing a container for a non-profit organisation who works with this very tribe, and who wants to see this pattern reversed. They are fighting to give them a voice and a profile, advocating for their children, helping liberate enslaved tribal workers and finding them fair employment. They also provide basic care for the poorest of the poor, with gifts of clothing and household items.
This organisation discovered Bhavani and saw her potential to be a small business owner. They invited her to meetings for tribal women on business, marketing and civil rights.Today, because of the support and education she received, Bhavani’s has a thriving fresh fish business, and plans to expand into pickled fish! When someone asked her how she feels about the future, she replied with determination, "I will see no more poverty in my children's lives. I will see that my village people are empowered to overcome poverty."
It is a wonderful example of the stories of transformation we hear regularly from organisations Crossroads ships to who are seeing entire communities turned around before their eyes. It is difficult work, though, and those working here in southern India have told us that it is hard for them to source all the resources they need. They have asked us to ship a range of items, from household equipment and clothes, to educational supplies and school stationery.
