The Impact Of Education In Gian's Life

Gian’s father was a tailor master and the father of three sons and a daughter. His father wanted Gian to continue his studies as he was in 10th class. But his father died in 2008 when Gian was still studying.  After Gian’s father’s death, he and his family had to move to his uncle’s village as none of their relatives lived with Gian’s family.  When Gian and his family moved with their uncle, it became difficult for him to continue his studies due to the distance he had to cover and the high fare of transport. His mother didn’t have enough income to send him to school. 

After a few months Gian and his family faced the danger of floods because they were having heavy rainfall. Their house wasn’t strong enough to resist the rain, which is why they had to leave their house and come back to the village where they lived before. It was difficult for Gian and his family to move again, but through the encouragement of some friends, Gian and his family were able to start over a new life.

Gian’s mother decided to work in the cotton field and with that income she sent Gian to school. After completing his studies, Gian got married in 2009 and became a teacher at one of the PEP schools.  Through a number of specialized teacher trainings at PEP Gian was able to develop his skills and knowledge. Now Gian is a qualified teacher at PEP school.

As Gian’s mother worked in the cotton field, she had to face some hardships because the crop season only lasts  six months and so for the rest of the year it was difficult for her to earn enough income. Gian became worried about this as each family member has to pool their income so that they have sufficient resources for the whole family.

PEP gave the village the opportunity to start a WEG group and Gian’s sister became a member. 30 women from their village joined the group and the members saved  money regularly and used it to help each other.

Gian realized that this would be an effective way to increase their family income. He suggested his mother take a loan to start a sewing business. It was successful, and from the profits she and her daughter paid back the loan.

Through the WEG, Gian was able to help his family and his mother earn sufficient income and have inner satisfaction from their achievements.

By having WEG in each village, the women now have a chance to make themselves self-reliant and purposeful members for their communities. They have understood their rights and what it means to help one another.