Each week of Lent, Caritas shares a story of a person who always goes further. These stories show how Caritas Australia’s training, development and support have improved their way of life. 

SAKUN FROM INDIA

Thirty-two-year-old Sakun lives in a village in central-east India. She developed polio as a child and has difficulty walking. Until now Sakun, an indigenous Gond woman, has been isolated in her community, unable to earn a livelihood and without knowledge of government schemes that could help her.

Sakun lives with her sister in a rural area of Chhattisgarh, India’s poorest state. Home to 26 million people, with 10 million living in poverty.

Life is hard in this region, and even harder for the state’s indigenous people. Sakun belongs to the Gond tribal community which is amongst India’s officially designated Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Historically disadvantaged, they suffer higher poverty rates than other parts of India.

In 2018, Sakun joined a Caritas Australia-funded program which is implemented by Caritas India and its local partner, Samarthan. Through their strategic guidance and support, Sakun learned new skills and gained important mobility. 

Sakun now earns her own income and makes a small profit which goes towards her family’s basic needs. She is more resilient, more confident and more independent. 

With your help, Caritas Australia can help uplift vulnerable communities and support the right of indigenous peoples around the world. A brighter future for women, men and their families can start today. Let’s Go Further, Together.

“I can move around my village, visit community members and talk to them, I feel happy and my social life and network has improved,” said Sakun. “It has also given me the opportunity to keep in contact with other people living with disabilities which enabled me to express solidarity with them. Today I am given due respect in the village and community.”