In a small rural village in South Asia, families’ lives are defined by survival, with virtually no opportunities to improve their circumstances. Most families survive on daily wage labor, primarily by picking cotton on other people’s farms, earning less than two dollars a day. Women especially face hardship and extreme poverty, with limited access to land, credit, and education, while also carrying the burden of high-risk, uncompensated domestic labor.
This was Sarah’s* daily struggle.
A Life of Struggle
For years, Sarah worked in the fields before returning home to cook and care for her children. During her 10 years of marriage, Sarah and her family struggled to make ends meet, leaving them unable to save money, afford items that would improve their daily lives, such as a propane gas cylinder for cooking, or make essential repairs to their home, including a leaking roof. Then a new fear came when Sarah began experiencing severe back pain. If the back pain prevented her from working, how would her family survive?
But just as quickly as this new fear came, God brought a blessing and an answer to prayer that eased their anxiety.
What Are Savings Groups?
Sarah’s pastor introduced her family to a savings group through their local church. These savings groups are church-based initiatives led by members of the community, made possible through trainings and resources provided by One More Child. Participants in the groups agree to save a small amount of their income and make it accessible to others within their group if a financial need arises. Just as valuable as the financial support, the savings groups create a caring community that looks after one another’s needs.
“For us, the savings group has become a bank, a safety net, and a Christ-centered family. I thank God for this program.”
SarahSavings Group Participant
Poverty brought loneliness and isolation to families in South Asia, but the savings groups foster dignity, compassionate support, and Christ-centered community. They fulfill the command in Scripture, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV).
The savings group changed Sarah’s life. Before, she didn’t have a bank account and relied on jars to set aside money on the rare occasion she could. The savings group taught her skills to save consistently, plan wisely, and place her trust in God. For the first time in her life, Sarah is financially secure—saving for her children’s education, addressing health needs, and even helping others during emergencies.
Sarah explained this transformation: “More than financial change, I experienced restoration—hope replacing fear and community replacing isolation.”
With this new restoration, hope, and community, Sarah discovered something else: power.
Sarah Learns How to Lead With Strength
Over time Sarah grew her skills and confidence and became the leader of a savings group in her village. The group is made up of 15 women who once lived in constant insecurity but have now found stability, security, and strength. Families are being empowered and relationships are being healed between one another, with the church, and with God.
Sarah reflected on the impact of the savings group, sharing:
“This church-centered savings group has restored dignity to rural believers and strengthened the church’s role as a place of care, stability, and hope. As families grow stronger, we are also able to give more faithfully and participate more fully in church life.
For us, the savings group has become a bank, a safety net, and a Christ-centered family. I thank God for this program. Through it, He has replaced fear with hope, isolation with community, and poverty with a pathway toward a better future.”
We rejoice over this transformation, praising God and thanking generous supporters like you who made it possible!
*Name changed for privacy.