Divia* is a young woman who has lived the entirety of her life in the slums of India. A young woman who has dreams of working and making money to support herself and help her family, Divia has struggled against the cultural expectation of women being solely wife and mother, never breadwinners. Divia, the second… Read more
Am I safe? Am I loved? Now, what can I learn? These three questions can be difficult to answer for children from hard places. If felt-safety isn’t present, or children question whether they’re loved, accomplishing daily tasks and learning new skills can be challenging. Disruptions caused by a global pandemic likely leave dysregulations in their… Read more
2020 has brought highs and lows as children and teens all over the world have navigated new learning strategies, more discretionary time, and an unstable internet. At the beginning of 2020, the Hope Program consisted of seven girls and three boys; over the course of the year, it welcomed an additional teen girl from the… Read more
What They’re Learning in Their Time Apart Staff have learned a significant amount of information about the children they serve in India the last several months. While some work stateside and patiently waiting to return to India, they meet virtually with all the children who call the Back2Back campus home, as well as with the… Read more
A Call-Center Style Classroom The big room is generally abuzz with visiting mission guests and Sunday church services, but in recent weeks, it’s bustling for different reasons. Small tables have been set up perpendicular to each other on the grey, marble floors, and each caregiver has their own phone, paperwork, and schedule to follow every… Read more
Joy Will Not Be Cancelled The familiar beat of a popular song filled the walls of a home in Tres Reyes, Cancun, Mexico. Roberto, decked out in a tie, graduation robe, and graduation cap, walked proudly down the hallway leading to his family’s dining room, where his sisters, mom, and dad grinned excitedly for him…. Read more
Growing Confident as English SpeakersAn India Hope Campus Update “Stick together, no hurts, have fun!” This phrase is one generally heard across sites from the children Back2Back serves. They are part of life scripts used in Nurture Groups, where the children learn, and are equipped, to understand the power of their voices and emotions, and… Read more
Final exams have come to a close in India and with that, has come a first for Back2Back’s India Campus. Three young men are preparing for junior college and life off campus. One dreams of taking to the skies as a pilot. Another hopes to serve his home country in the Army. And the third… Read more
The Indian city is bustling. Car horns sound consistently, as vehicles, motos, and walkers all work to get to their destinations. Tall buildings and shops line the roads, and cows and goats make their way through the busy streets. In the center is another community with a busyness of its own- a slum community within… Read more
Shirisha* and Mary* were two of eight new children at the Back2Back India Hope Campus in June of 2019. Based on transcripts provided and information from family members, the girls were placed in third and fourth grade at the local English-medium school. By August, staff saw the girls weren’t just falling behind in school, they… Read more