Where love grows
Dear
friend,
In March this year, I travelled to Nepal to visit the places where your ALWS love is in action.
While I couldn’t take you with me, I hope this small book brings you close to the people whose lives you’re helping change
I pray these stories make you smile and remind you just how powerful your kindness is. What you are doing through ALWS is good. It’s real. And it’s working. Families are working hard to build a better future and your support is right there beside them.
Thank you for coming with me!
Sarah
Kailali
Kailali
District 4 March 2025
Literacy. Leaves. Lifting each other up.
Our first stop was in East Nepal. A small community hall, normally used for village meetings, but recently turned into a leaf plate factory It was warm and busy, full of women working together One of those women is Fiya.
Fiya is an ex-Kamaiya, a term that refers to people who were once in bonded labour.
Families like Fiya’s were forced to work for landlords, receiving only a small share of the harvest in return. Over time, this created a cycle of debt that children were born into, forced to work to repay their parents debt.
While the Kamaiya system was abolished in 2000, its impact of poverty and displacement has remained
Fiya never got the chance to go to school. Instead, she spent her youth working long hours in a rice mill, even when she had a family of her own to care for.
"I remember carrying my baby on my back as I worked all night. There was lots of scolding if anyone misbehaved."
Then in 2020, her husband became ill and sadly passed away Fiya was left with a large hospital bill and the pressure of raising her family alone.
“His hospital bill was very high. I borrowed money from those in my community.”
Fiya has been working hard to provide a better life for her family. Participating in different programs that you support!
Through the TEP (Transformative Education Programme), she learned to read and write
”I’m excited I’m able to write my own name.”
It was so special to see Fiya write her own name, to see her pride and smile.
Along with the TEP classes, your kindness has helped a group of women in her community start a leaf-plate factory
It is exactly what it sounds like – turning leaves into plates!
Left:Fiyausingtheplate pressingmachine Right:Agroupofwomenhand sewingleavestogether
The plates are used for all kinds of special ceremonies, like weddings and community gatherings The demand for the plates is large, the collective can’t keep up
The group collects the leaves from the Sal trees in their community, hand-stitch the leaves together, and use a special machine to press it into a plate.
The earnings are divided evenly among the group Fiya shared:
“I am happy to work collaboratively. I am not idle. I have a place and a purpose.”
I think about all the ways love is seen in Fiya’s life, through literacy, leaves, and lifting each other up.
Siraha District 8 March 2025
Grandma Sitli
This was the most confronting day of the trip.
In a quiet village near the Indian boarder, I met Sitli
We have only recently begun working in her community. Your kindness has already helped provide families with seeds grow nutritious vege’s. But the need is still great.
Sitli is a grandmother and full-time carer for her two grandchildren, Maya and Adit.
The children had lost their mother just last year. She’d faced long-term onger in the country. d me. "It is my only
Sitli talked to our group about what life is like as a Dalit woman The discrimination and injustice her community continue to face
The drive back from Sitli’s community was quiet. We all felt the sadness. These are stories and faces the world forgets. But you remember.
I thought about many things
I thought about my grandma’s. How grateful I was to have both of them, to know them, and to love them.
I thought about you, here in Australia. What you are doing for children like Maya and Adit But also, for the children who you may never meet Whose names you may not know But whose lives are impacted because of you.
I thought about Jesus and how much He loves children.
“Letthe littlechildren cometome fortosuch belongsthe kingdom ofheaven.”
Matt19:14
Lalitpur District 12 March 2025
Seeds for the future
On my last day in the field, I met another grandparent, Sakal.
As a young boy, Sakal was unable to go to school He’s worked as a farmer his entire life.
“I left school because I have to work in the field. My family had no income to continue school.”
Now, with your support, Sakal and his community are participating in agriculture training.
Sakal shared “I received modern agricultural training. This training helped me gain knowledge on commercial farming, previously I only did subsistence farming. I learned about market chains and now have a goal to do large-scale farming
I am now making $1,000 - $2,500npr ($11.50 - $28.75 AUD) per day.”
And, best of all:
“Now, I can send my grandchildren to school. My wants are for my grandson to be highly educated. We are thriving because we are farming.”
You can tell from the way he speaks that he is a leader in his community. He shared with me, what he shares to inspire others: “Let’s do the hard work We never give up”
Thank you for joining me through these reflections on Nepal. Through every story, your love has come to life In words In work And in hope
What a joy it is to walk alongside you.
From Nepal, where your love goes and grows, Sarah
