A World Vision sponsored child is helped through an Area Development Programme (ADP) where community development is carried out via a 10- to 15-year plan for its people to reach self-sustainability and independence from World Vision’s assistance.
Supported by World Vision Singapore since 1997, Dhemaji ADP has been inundated with natural disasters, causing setbacks in our development plan for thousands of children and families living in the often overlooked area of north-east India in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas.
Until 2005 when a river embankment was built, the serious silting of the Brahmaputra river and continuous rainfall for two to three months caused heavy floods in the poorest area of Assam state.
Besides rendering thousands of people homeless, every flood destroyed thousands of hectares of cropland, turning fertile land into barren sand plots unfit for cultivation. This caused severe scarcity of essential items including rice, potato, petrol, diesel and cooking gas, and unlimited damage to many roads and bridges of the district, virtually crippling accessibility to the villages.
Despite the yearly threat that destroys advancement efforts, World Vision and the people of Dhemaji have diligently worked to reached self-sustainability in the scheduled 2012 phase out. However, a recent project evaluation shows that there are still areas in need of critical assistance before World Vision can relinquish its commitments towards the people and children, especially in areas such as its infrastructure and agricultural development. Therefore, World Vision will continue and extend assistance to Dhemaji ADP by another five years to complete the work started.
Recent improvements in this ADP give substantial encouragement and faith for Dhemaji to reach self-sustainability by 2017. With child sponsors’ continued support, the children and people of Dhemaji will be in a much more stable position to regain its confidence and hope for a future that’s free of poverty.
Please click here to read more about Dhemaji ADP’s achievements to date or true stories of transformed lives in the field.
Due to the extension, many more children in Dhemaji ADP are waiting to be sponsored. If you wish to help, please click here to sponsor a child from India.
