Narration: Welcome to the Harvest Bridge Podcast. This platform allows you to hear directly from the local ministry leaders we support across South Asia and Myanmar, while also protecting their identities and shielding them from further persecution. This month at Harvest Bridge, we have been sharing stories from women who are living in some of the hardest places in the world, facing poverty, violence, and isolation. But through the ministry leaders of Harvest Bridge, they are finding hope. Today we want to share just a few of these stories. We’ll hear from Jandi* in Nepal, Pastor Pan* in Myanmar, and Priya* in India. Let’s start In Nepal. One of the ways churches are helping women build stability is through savings groups.These are simple groups that meet regularly in churches. Each participant contributes a small amount of money into a shared pool. Over time, those funds become small loans that help families pay for urgent needs like school fees, or build long term stability by starting a small business. Jandi*, the co-country leader in Nepal, explained why this is so important:
Jandi: “Most of the church everywhere in our country are from economic, economically, very weak. So these kind of people come in church, and they need a small money for, like paying their children’s institution fee. Or do small kind of like farming or animal farming or vegetable farming, these kind of things, and small kind of business, like tailoring or this meat shop – different things people do. But they could not go to – they had no place to go and ask, you know. And church leaders and pastors were unable to provide for them. And every time, all the church believers go and ask for them, and they don’t, in fact, they don’t have a good income, you know, pastors and leaders, they also don’t have good income, and they cannot help their believers. And so it was really a hard time. And [at] the same time, when we introduced the saving group ministry in the churches, in the beginning, it became like “What? What is this?” But after they implemented the saving group ministry in the church, slowly, people collect after some months, and they collect some money from their savings, and when they give as a loan to the members, and that money they use for their children’s education, for the health treatment, for their small business, for their farming, for the overall in their daily life. It’s very useful, even small amount, like 10,000 or 5000 or 15,000 – small money – they can use for their financial improvement. So it’s making great impact. And people are like doing different kind of business, which never happened, which [they] never see in their churches, you know? Because if they do big business, they have bank and so many things, you know. Go ask for loan. They have their land and house to keep as a collateral in the bank, and then give them loan, and they can do big business for the people who come to church are from very low income. And for 10,000 rupees, for 5000 rupees, they cannot go to bank to ask the loan. And even their neighborhood, all are same. They cannot support. They cannot give the loan to each other.”
Narration: Women in extreme poverty have nowhere to go when they need funds. Banks require collateral. Neighbors and local pastors are often struggling just as much themselves. But through the savings groups, families are starting small farms, raising animals, or beginning businesses like tailoring. They also pray for and support one another:
Jandi: “And the saving group ministries helping them a lot, and they are really helping each other, and their relationship is becoming stronger in their faith as well as their inside the church, you know, and outsiders, outsiders, they also are joining in saving group. That is also very great thing, even though they have not come to Christ, but they hear the gospel. They hear the Word of God. They hear the prayer. They also request prayer. They also request for prayer. You know, at least negative things are slowly going down because of this ministry.”
Narration: The impact of these savings groups is rippling out in their communities. In one area, children have even started their own group. Without any formal teaching, they saw their parents saving together and wanted to do the same.
Jandi: “Sometimes. I ask a woman, why did you, why did you join this saving group? While we go for visit and for, like, some meetings, quarterly meetings, we go different places. And I just individually ask, and they say, ‘I never have the habit of saving in my life, and it’s teaching me to save.’ So when the parents learn, and their children also will learn from them. One saving [group] also already started – children saving group – without having any curriculum. The parents and the first every time while they come to their children fellowship in the church. And they were requesting the church leaders, uncles, auntie, we also need our saving group.”
Narration: The work in Nepal also includes health camps in rural villages, where women often have little access to medical care or education about their health. Jandi and other leaders travel to villages to provide health education, medical care and counseling for these women. Women receive life changing surgeries and medication. They also learn about hygiene, menstrual health, and practical ways to care for their bodies. When women understand these issues, they share what they have learned with others. Mothers teach daughters. Communities become healthier. And younger generations do not have to suffer the same struggles their mothers and grandmothers faced.
Jandi: “Yes, because we go to different villages and we also do health education, not only the Biblical education, we also do health education with the women, if they are educated, they will be healthy for lifetime. That is our concern They will learn women hygiene, and they will live healthier life, and they will not suffer like their moms, their aunts, their grandmoms. So if they are aware and educated, the community will be more educated in the days to come that we hope.”
Narration: In Myanmar, the challenges are different but just as difficult. Since the military coup in 2021, economic hardship has increased across the country. Jobs are scarce and families are struggling. In many areas, men face serious risks traveling for work, as they are likely to be targeted by the military for conscription or arrest. So women are finding ways to earn safely from home. Women’s empowerment projects help build small home-based businesses that are becoming the main support for entire families. Pastor Pan*, the co-country leader in Myanmar for Harvest Bridge, shared this:
Pan: “Since the pandemic and after the coup, many people, more and more people, are suffering and struggling. And there is no proper job, there is no proper incomes, and the people of Myanmar are more and more suffering. The women empowerment works very well in my place after the coup, because the women are doing at their home. They don’t need to go out here and there, so they are safe in doing at their house. So I need more support for this women empowerment in the future, if God willing, because right now, in my place they are doing very well, and that is their main supporter, even for the family, even though the women are working, because men are very dangerous to go for work, especially in my place.”
Narration: One of the women trained in these projects has now not only started her own weaving business, but is teaching others to do the same. Pastor Pan said this is what makes him happiest, seeing the impact spread beyond the original participants.
Pan: “What I was truly happy to learn – that one of our supported women she taught a couple of people already the skill about weaving. And she learned very quickly, and now she has the ability to carry that business. So she’s a Christian also, and I’m very happy to learn about that one. And our works does not affect not only for our supported women and men, but through that, many people are benefited. They even got the skill from them. Now they can start their own business through learning from other women whom we have supported. I’m truly happy to learn about that one.”
Narration: In India, Priya* works among gypsy communities where poverty and discrimination are a daily reality. Many of the women she works with had little opportunity for stable income. Some of their husbands struggle with alcoholism and are unable to support their families. But through economic development projects, women are beginning to build new futures. One recycling project has already increased the price women receive for collected materials. This difference means families can eat regular meals. Children who begged on the streets are now staying in school. As the women earn income, they reinvest much of the money to grow their businesses and invite other women to join. Let’s hear more from Priya:
Priya: “The recycling project is, it’s very it’s not very easy, but the people slowly understand how it comes through. So before, for example, the people – for one kilos, they get only 10 rupees per kilo, but now they are getting 45 rupees. So it’s like three times more than they are getting. So now the women says, women are very proudly saying that. ‘I am living by myself independently’, because the husbands are alcoholic persons, so they are not bringing the money to the homes. Children are not eating good foods every day, but now the economical development project helps the family to build their confidence level and build the woman’s power and build the children’s education, and they are eating three meals a day. They stop the children to go for begging. This is very important and they are very strong and strong in Christ.”
Narration: These projects are also having a spiritual impact. The women are gathering for Bible studies. Many cannot read or write, so they ask their children to read the Bible aloud at home. Together they memorize verses and share them with others. Some even share their faith with customers when selling jewelry or goods in the marketplace.
Priya: “Actually, the woman’s are earning more so they have, like, a confidence at the home. Before life was – they don’t have a meal to eat, and the children are crying for food, and they cannot concentrate. Now the economical thing is developed, so they are interested to be more confident by themselves. Also, they are teaching to other women also. Then they gathered here Bible study groups, and, they are calling other women to teach the Bible study also for themselves [for] the spiritual life. You know, the gypsies doesn’t know how to read and write, but nowadays they are asking the children to read the Bible every day with themselves as the family so that they can hear the word of God. They can memorize by themselves – that memorized verse, they can spread it to other women. Our gypsies women are selling the jewelry in the market side and the temple side, Hindu temple side and railway station and the bus stop station. So the gypsies decided, the gypsy woman are decided to spread the gospel to the outside people, like who is coming to purchase the jewelry. So they are giving the necklace and saying that God is super good. ‘I converted’, like ‘I accepted Jesus Christ. My family has accepted Jesus Christ. Now we are growing in a spiritually and economically, our life has changed.’”
Narration: Women’s empowerment begins in small ways. A savings group in a church. A health class in a rural village. A weaving skill passed from one woman to another. A small business that allows a mother to feed her children. But when women are supported, they find hope.
Thank you for being a part of this important work throughout South Asia and Myanmar. To hear more stories like these, visit the stories page on our website and select the tag for Women’s Empowerment. Thank you for listening to the Harvest Bridge Podcast, and for enabling us to support ministry leaders who are doing much, with little.