In the early morning hours, here in the Guatemalan mountains, Nicolasa and her daughters set out to the market to sell the piglets they’ve been raising as part of a food security project.

Nicolasa’s story is similar to many women in the mountain-range of Los Cuchumatanes. Raising a toddler, with another baby on the way, Nicolasa was dedicated to her household and her marriage, until one day when her husband left. “I felt alone and afraid,” she says, “I had two girls to support and I did not have a job.”

World Vision recognized the income and food insecurity that existed in this region. The flat, rocky terrain and cold temperatures made it difficult to grow food, and that, in turn, made it difficult for mothers like Nicolasa to provide for their families. Nicolasa was chosen to take part in a World Vision project and was given training and supplies to raise piglets and start her own business.

“As you know, we have to make a lot of effort, it didn't take us a day or two, it has cost us a lot, but thank God we are improving. I don't know how we have managed, together with my daughters, to overcome so much. We have been blessed.”

Once homeless, Nicolasa and her growing girls are now thriving – thanks to her hard work and resilience. “My mom has worked so hard for us,” beams a now 9-year-old Johana, the eldest of Nicolasa’s two daughters. “We are sure that the future will be much better!”

Nyathak Choul has lived a mother’s nightmare; unclean water claimed the life of her child.

Nyathak is among the thousands of people who have been displaced from their home because of conflict. She has taken refuge in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan. Here, the community relies on a reservoir of runoff rainwater during the dry season. While it makes water readily available, it is not safe to drink.

“It was the dry season when we were displaced. Arriving in a new place, we had no idea what awaited us. The water we fetched and drank daily was brown and muddy. We did not have a choice.”

Nyathak’s daughter, Nyakuac, contracted malaria – a waterborn illness – from the unsafe water. Nyathak walked for two hours to town every single day so her daughter could get treated for malaria, but without another, safe water source, Nyakuac remained sick until she passed away.

In 2022, thanks to generous donors, World Vision and its partners upgraded water sources in the area to make them safe. A solar-powered mini water treatment plant was constructed as well. The new water system serves up to 700 people.

While Nyathak continues to grieve the loss of her daughter, she is also hopeful for the children in this community. “I believe the rampant cases of waterborne diseases will stop. Clean water helps a lot, and we realized its importance for our children’s health. Indeed, water is life.”

Mary was in the fourth grade when she was sexually assaulted. “My parents took me to the family of the boy who abused me and left me there. It was a confusing moment,” Mary recalls. “I returned home and a woman from EGAL visited and told me I could return to school if I so wished. It felt like escaping from a trap.”

Unfortunately, Mary’s story is not uncommon. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mary, Tshitshi, Marie, Esther and Leonnie sit in the compound of a small community building. Their camaraderie almost hides the shared experiences of abuse, neglect and exploitation – which pushed them out of school. Girl after girl tells a similar story of rejection by those closest to them.

Equality for Girls’ Access to Learning (EGAL) is a joint initiative between Global Affairs Canada, World Vision’s generous donors and World Vision’s partners, focused on ensuring girls have access to education and that their right to education is respected by their families and community.

“I went back to school, I studied hard, and now I am waiting for admission into nursing school,” Mary shares with pride.

Tshitshi shares, “My return to school has opened up new opportunities for me, like learning how to sew clothes. I hope to do this for a living.”

“I love going to school,” says Marie, “and I am happy to learn reading and writing. When I grow up, I want to be a school principal.”

Watch the inspiring story of how the Yambio PHCC health facility in South Sudan is empowering women in nearby villages to take charge of their health and wellbeing.

In Yambio, South Sudan, women’s health is often put on the backburner, but support from World Vision donors is changing that. In one Yambio community, a World Vision health facility is raising awareness in nearby villages, empowering women to take charge of their health and wellbeing, and thereby, lessening the gender gap for women and girls in this community.

A group of 11 health workers have been trained to go household to household meeting with residents and teaching them about the importance of health, nutrition, reproductive health and family planning.

Now, more women, children and expectant mothers can get the care and health education they need. The health staff report that some teenagers and teen mothers who received training on reproductive health and family planning have since returned to school. And people living with disabilities have been given tricycles to ensure they can get to the health clinic for treatment.

Mikala Hezikia, Health Management Committee Chairperson in Yambio says, “I thank World Vision for how they have strengthened us. You have opened our eyes and mind on how we can support our community. What you have taught us has already spread all over the community.”