Every month, the staff at each Sambhali program puts together a report. It includes attendance, grades, the curriculum covered, workshops, obstacles faced, and success stories. Here’s one of my favorite stories from last month about a little girl at the Pabuji Primary Education Center in Jaisalmer:

She is Kavya*. She belongs to the Bhil community, and her parents came from Pakistan and settled here. They live in a joint family of 25 members. Kavya has six sisters: one elder sister and four younger sisters. Her father works as a laborer. Her elder sister studied up to the 5th grade but had to leave school. Kavya is currently in the 3rd grade, and her younger sister is in the 2nd grade. When her elder sister joined Sambhali, Kavya was also sent for studies. At first, she did not know how to study properly and sometimes did not attend the center regularly. Now, she has developed a strong interest in learning and comes to study on her own. She not only studies diligently but also brings her younger sister along and helps her study. Now, Kavya arrives early, studies with full concentration, and participates actively in conversations, showing significant improvement in her learning and behavior.

The photos and success stories always give me energy to do whatever needs to be done next to move Sambhali U.S. forward. And often what I do next is fret about how damn hard it is this year to raise the funds needed to keep all this going when we are living in a country filled with—as they say in baseball—unforced errors. Tragic errors that have decimated USAID so all nonprofits working in developing countries are looking to the same limited pool of private foundations for funding. Errors that made DEI—the basis of Sambhali’s work—demonized rather than celebrated. Errors that resulted in the loss of livelihood for supporters who had been fighting the good fight at federal agencies or working as federal contractors, and that created economic uncertainty for many more.

And yet… the photos and success stories need to continue because in all this there are these women, these girls who are willing to do the hard work to change the trajectory of their lives. Because we resist the narrative that equity work is optional and that their lives are dismissible during hard times.

I was recently chosen as a Local Changemaker by Optimist Daily, and in a grouchy mood that day— influenced by all those “errors”—I thought, “Who, me? An optimist?” But a few days later, one of our long-term supporters sent me a response to the story we sent out about Radha, one of the Sambhali boarding home girls who comes from a migrant community near the Pakastani border. She wrote:

Shereen,

What an uplifting email!

I needed some good news.

The opportunities you are providing are remarkable.

And the results even more so.

Thank you for some positivity this morning.

And I realized, yes, we are all a part of the Sambhali family because we are optimists—because we believe in the women and girls in Sambhali’s programs, in their ability to overcome obstacles when given a chance, and because we believe in ourselves as a community of volunteers and donors that is vital to creating those opportunities. These photos and stories bring us joy and optimism, and right now we sorely need both.

We have built a reputation for resilience. Our board and volunteers have always accepted—and embraced—lean budgets, in-kind contributions, and scrappy innovation in order to maximize funding of Sambhali Trust programs. But even the most talented lean machine requires fuel to survive.

So even in the sunshine of optimism, I know the reality is we either achieve a tremendous end-of-year campaign, or we pull back on what we can do to support Sambhali Trust’s amazing programs.

How do we turn that optimism into action during this difficult time? Here are some key ways you can help today:

• Renew or increase your gift—every donation creates opportunity.

• Consider becoming a monthly donor—predictable support is gold in uncertain times.

• Tell friends, family, and colleagues why you support Sambhali’s work and ask them to join you. Email me at shereenarent@sambhalius.org for information on how to easily set up a peer-to-peer fundraiser.

• Share your belief in this work publicly—help shift the narrative around DEI and global gender justice.

• Introduce us to potential donors or foundations you know. Your connection can open doors.

Thank you for being part of this journey with your heart, your voice, and your resources. Together, even in hard times, we affirm that full humanity belongs to every woman and girl.

With deep gratitude and resolve,

Shereen Arent
President, Sambhali U.S.