Help give people the skills and training they need to live independently.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Your caring gift today will equip women like Kanda with the skills, confidence, and support they need to build an independent future.
Through our Government’s Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Cooperation Programme, your gift will have 4x the impact to transform lives in Laos!
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Kanda’s childhood illness affected both her feet, making walking difficult and leaving her excluded from her community.
As a child she was bullied and discouraged, and for years, her voice simply wasn’t heard. “Friends called me names,” she recalls.
Yet Kanda refused to give up.
She learnt to sew, married, and began making clothes and traditional Lao skirts to sell. But competition was high, and her income was never enough to give her family stability.
“Our house isn’t on a main road… it’s in an alleyway,” she explained. Because of her mobility challenges, she couldn’t get out to attract customers, and without savings she couldn’t grow her small business.
Kanda worked tirelessly, but it was still a struggle – until generous people like you helped make something new possible.
Through a cbm-funded livelihoods project, Kanda received training in business skills and access to financial support. Already able to sew, she was encouraged to expand into making bags. With your support she bought materials, fabric, zippers and a small advertising sign.
She worked hard to build up her stock – and once her new sign was placed on the main road, everything changed.
Word quickly spread. The beautiful handmade bags began to sell, and her income grew enough to give her and her husband financial security. It was the beginning of breaking the cycle of poverty and disability.
Kanda joined a Self-Help Group (SHG) for people with disabilities – a pioneering community initiative empowering women with business training, confidence and leadership skills.
“The project taught me many things,” Kanda says. “It gave me the opportunity to become a trainer on the rights of people with disabilities.”
Once shy and afraid to speak in public, Kanda now proudly trains others. She guides her community in income generation, health, and practical support – especially for the elderly and those who are unwell. Her leadership has changed how people see disability.
“People in the community are more welcoming now; they see that I am capable,” she says with pride.
For the first time, she has a place to belong – where women come together, learn, advocate and support each other in a safe, respectful environment.
Kanda’s story is a powerful picture of what your gift can help make possible: not charity, but transformation.
Her dream now is to grow her small shop so she can hire other SHG members and help the most disadvantaged people in her village.
"I don’t want people with disabilities to be a burden,” she says. “I want them to learn new skills and depend on themselves.”
Her journey – from isolation to leadership – shows what can happen when someone receives the right support, and when caring people like you believe in them.
There is still great need in Laos, where almost a fifth of the population lives in poverty.
And right now, you have an extraordinary opportunity.
In planning this project, we ensured that women like Kanda would receive business and financial literacy training – because women with disabilities are often left out, overlooked, and told they can’t run a successful business.
But disability does not mean inability.
And because we believe every person is created in God’s image and loved by Him, we are committed to building a world where all people with disabilities are included, valued, and respected.
Your gift today will help:
