In Pakistan, development group helps minorities get land, education

Published: 2006-04-04

MIRPUR KHAS, Pakistan (CNS) -- Daryani Wadiyra got her freedom two years ago. The fiftysomething woman -- she does not know her exact age -- had lived all her life in feudal slavery. Then with the help of a Pakistani organization supported by U.S. Catholics, Wadiyra was set free. Since she can remember, Wadiyra had lived under the control of a wealthy landlord. She and her husband, Khanji, grew wheat, cotton and vegetables, and in theory received half of each harvest, yet at times it took years for the landlord to pay them. "We were beggars before. Whenever he wanted, the landlord would send us to work on the farms of his friends or relatives, and we never got paid," she said. In 2004, Wadiyra and her family bought land of their own, using a loan from the Lower Sindh River Development Association, which is supported by Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops' international relief and development agency. The association helped the family build a simple house and get some crops in the ground. Today, Wadiyra's children -- including the girls -- go to an inexpensive private school.

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