Married as children of 11 and 13, life in Nepal was already very difficult for Fulan and her husband, Kamta. But when Kamta fell ill with
tuberculosis, life got even harder.
With her husband too sick to do anything but fight to stay alive, Fulan was left to fend on her own. She was the only thing that stood between her family and certain demise. Their survival was entirely in her hands… literally.
Fulan took to collecting grass and learned to make rope by hand. At first, the process would cause the tender flesh of her palms to become so raw that she could make very little, but, still, she persisted. She had no other option.
“It was better to do something, rather than dying of starvation,” Fulan explains.
But no matter how hard she worked, Fulan could never sell enough ropes to feed her hungry family.
“Many times,” she remembers, “we would go to bed without dinner.”
For six long years, this was the story of Fulan’s life. A sick husband and two young children (both with disabilities) to care for, unending hunger, and a constant fight to stay alive.
She had no hope that things could ever get better and her heart was filled with despair.
At Christmas, we reflect on the hope Jesus brings to the world. And we can share a small part of this hope with others.
For Fulan and Kamta, hope means regular meals and full bellies for their family, instead of near starvation. Hope means they can buy clothing for their children, instead of watching them shiver in the cold. Hope means they can pay for medicine to cure tuberculosis, instead of more years of sickness.
It’s people like you who gave them this hope. People whose generosity helped to set up the Self-Help Group that gave Fulan and Kamta a loan to buy a new rope-making machine.
When she worked by hand, Fulan could only make 2kg of rope a day. The first day Fulan and Kamta used their new machine, this increased to 15kg of rope.
Now, they have an income that their family can actually live on! “I feel very good,” says Fulan, “because of the machine we are able to get food, clothes, and we have some savings as well!”
Through the blessings we receive, we can bless others like Fulan and Kamta and help turn despair into hope. This Christmas, you have the opportunity to help even more families living in poverty… and bless struggling mums and dads who have seen hope deferred for too long.
Be Hope this Christmas. Give generously at: www.baptistworldaid.org.au/be-hope
