Category: India

Maria, 14, is a sponsored youth in Guatemala who wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
Community, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Philippines, Sponsor a child, Sponsor an aging friend, Unbound
Oct 31 2016

35 snapshots of Unbound: 8-14

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One of the ways we are celebrating our 35th anniversary coming up on Nov. 20 is by hearing from sponsored friends and staff around the world. We asked how Unbound has changed them, what their favorite thing about being sponsored is or what greeting they have for us at this milestone. We’re featuring 35 snapshots of our global community over the next several weeks leading up to Nov. 20, right here on the blog. Check out the second set of seven snapshots in the series, and stay tuned!
Jackeline, 14, is a sponsored youth from Guatemala who enjoys science and dreams of becoming a chef because she loves food.
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Leonila (left), 67, a sponsored elder in Philippines who has six children and used to be a massage therapist, and Esperanza (right), 85, a sponsored elder in Philippines who is thankful for her co-sponsored elders because one of them loaned her a dress for this photo shoot.
Community, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Philippines, Sponsor a child, Sponsor an aging friend, Unbound
Oct 24 2016

35 snapshots of Unbound: 1-7

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One of the ways we are celebrating our 35th anniversary coming up on Nov. 20 is by hearing from sponsored friends and staff around the world. We asked them how Unbound has changed them, what their favorite thing about being sponsored is or what greeting they have for us at this milestone. We’re featuring 35 snapshots of our global community over the next several weeks leading up to Nov. 20, right here on the blog. Check out the first seven snapshots in the series, and stay tuned!

Sava, 22, a sponsored youth in Kenya who is studying cosmetology
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Jeba Mathi loves her job as a social worker for Unbound in Trichy, India, where she was raised by her grandmother and was a sponsored child herself.
Economic Self-Sufficiency, Education, India, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Sep 9 2016

A grandmother’s wisdom and a sponsor’s love

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Jeba Mathi loves her job as a social worker for Unbound in Trichy, India, where she was raised by her grandmother and was a sponsored child herself.

Jeba Mathi loves her job as a social worker for Unbound in Trichy, India, where she was raised by her grandmother and was a sponsored child herself.

Jeba Mathi is a social worker for Unbound in Trichy, India, and a former Unbound sponsored child. Jeba was raised in India by her grandmother, and had a special connection with her sponsor who was raised by her grandmother, too.

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John is a father of eight in Uganda. His daughter Christine is sponsored through Unbound. To support his family, he took loans from the Unbound parents group he participates in to open up his own store.
Bolivia, Economic Self-Sufficiency, Guatemala, India, Philippines, Sponsor a child, Sponsor an aging friend, Uganda, Unbound
Sep 5 2016

Hard-working parents — photo essay

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Charito is the mother of two sponsored children in the Philippines. She is part of an initiative that uses water hyacinth (water lily), which grows in abundance near her community, to create a plant-based leather substitute. They use it to create a variety of products, such as shoes, bags, folders and backpacks. Charito is in charge of drying and cleaning the plants after they have been harvested by scraping off extra fibers, which she is doing in the photo above.

Through supports groups and livelihood programs, Unbound supports the hard-working parents of sponsored children around the world to help them develop their natural talents, so they can create sustainable sources of income to support their families and work their way out of poverty.

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Pritha, at the age of 13, dressed for her coming-of-age ceremony. According to Pritha, this photo was taken in a professional photographer's studio, in front of a mirror so that the intricate braid work could be seen in the reflection.
Community, India, Unbound
Aug 31 2016

Coming of age in South India

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Pritha, at the age of 13, dressed for her coming-of-age ceremony. According to Pritha, this photo was taken in a professional photographer’s studio, in front of a mirror so that the intricate braid work could be seen in the reflection.
In her role as program director at Unbound, Pritha visits sponsored child Antony at Antony’s home in India.

By Pritha Hariharan, program director for Unbound’s international programs

Picture this: a young girl of 13 fully decked out in a brand new sari. All the gold her family can afford hangs on her ears, around her neck, her wrists, her ankles and even her waist. She is the center of attention — all the ladies of the family and the neighborhood mill around her. Some bring gifts, others bring food, but everyone is congratulating her and her parents.

She isn’t quite sure why she’s been put in the spotlight, but she’s enjoying it for now. The male siblings are feeling left out, and for the first time in their lives they can’t figure out why the sister is getting all the attention.

Middle school graduation?

Think again.
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Sundarapandi lost his hands at age 10. He later went on to win numerous medals in the Indian Paralympics as a swimmer.
Asia, India, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Aug 26 2016

Indian swimmer wins Paralympic gold

Sundarapandi lost his hands at age 10. He later went on to win numerous medals in the Indian Paralympics as a swimmer.

Sundarapandi lost his hands at age 10. He later went on to win numerous medals in the Indian Paralympics as a swimmer.

When Sundarapandi, an 18-year-old sponsored youth in India, lost his hands in an electrical accident at age 10, he never imagined he would someday become a decorated athlete.

Winning three gold and one bronze medal in the India National Paralympics in 2015, Sundarapandi has achieved far beyond what he ever could have dreamed.

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Several smaller mothers groups come together in Warangal, India for "Pratibhautsav," a traditional celebration of light and splendor. This particular gathering was dedicated to the initiative of the women.
Community, Economic Self-Sufficiency, Guatemala, India, Sponsor a child, Unbound
Jul 27 2016

Small groups offer empowerment and support

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Members of a mothers group in Guatemala sit in front of baskets they produce to generate income. Pictured are Ana (foreground) and (in back, from left) Maria, Dora and Maria Eva.
Several smaller mothers groups come together in Warangal, India for “Pratibhautsav,” a traditional celebration of light and splendor. This particular gathering was dedicated to the initiative of the women.

Perhaps nothing says more about Unbound’s culture of learning than our movement toward small, community-based groups within our programs. The families themselves taught us that when those who are systemically disadvantaged come together, great things can happen.

Local Unbound program staffs discovered early on that small peer groups were ideal for building trust and an environment of mutual support within a larger community. They found that the ideal size was about 25 members — large enough to feel empowered but small enough to maintain a sense of intimacy.

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Sundari uses her flour mill to help support her family.
Economic Self-Sufficiency, India, Sponsor a child, Unbound
May 9 2016

Grinding away to success

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Sundari uses her flour mill to help support her family.

Sundari uses her flour mill to help support her family.

When Sundari’s son Adarsh was sponsored through Unbound’s office in Hyderabad, India, things were difficult for the family. Not only are Sundari and her husband, Marreddy, responsible for taking care of their two children, but they also take care of their grandparents and Sundari’s aunt.

Marreddy is a farmer, but only has two acres of land with which to support all seven members of the family. Sundari is a housewife, and when her son was sponsored in 2004, she didn’t have any means of earning an income.

Now 18, Adarsh was sponsored by Cleaton and Corda from Louisiana, who remained his sponsors until he left the program last year when he starting working. Adarsh wasn’t the only one in the family who benefited from being part of Unbound. Through the program, Sundari had the opportunity to join a local support mothers group (SMG) called Pragathi Mahila Sangam, which means Women’s Progress Group.

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