STORIES OF CHANGE
Every Change Has a Story
Behind every number is a person, a family, and a community
SAVERA works closely with people facing difficult circumstances—families affected by migration, children struggling to continue their education, workers facing exploitation, and women carrying the responsibility of sustaining their households.
These stories show how timely information, community support, and access to institutions can make a meaningful difference.
A Worker Gets His Hard-Earned Wages Back
For migrant workers, non-payment of wages can push an already vulnerable family into serious financial difficulty. Workers employed far from home often have limited information about where to seek help and may feel unable to challenge contractors or employers.
SAVERA supported two migrant workers facing non-payment of wages after working in Haryana. Through follow-up and intervention, ₹48,000 in pending wages was recovered for the two workers.
The case demonstrated why migrant workers need not only awareness of their rights but also accessible support systems at both their home and destination locations.
The change: From facing wage loss alone to having support in claiming what they had earned.
Helping Children Return to the Classroom
Children of migrant workers frequently experience disruption in education. Some accompany their parents to migration destinations, while others remain at home without sufficient educational support.
During meetings with migrant families, SAVERA identified children who were formally enrolled in school but had stopped attending regularly.
The team prepared village-wise information, visited schools, met teachers and Tola Sevaks, and engaged parents to understand the barriers preventing children from attending.
Of 48 irregular children initially identified, 35 returned to regular school attendance.
This experience also encouraged SAVERA to strengthen community-based learning support for children of migrant families.
The change:
From irregular attendance and the risk of dropping out to renewed participation in education.
Workers Supporting Workers
Migrant workers often receive critical information from other workers rather than from formal institutions. SAVERA therefore recognised that sustainable change required leadership from within migrant communities themselves.
The organisation identified 16 potential migrant worker champions from among 200 migrant workers and their families. The champions were selected because of their willingness to support fellow workers and engage with labour issues.
They received orientation on rights, entitlements, and safe migration. SAVERA team members also began mentoring them so that they could provide information and guidance when workers faced accidents, wage disputes, or problems with contractors.
The change:
From individual vulnerability to a growing network of workers who can support one another.
Standing with a Family in a Moment of Crisis
SAVERA’s community work also brings the team into contact with families facing unforeseen crises.
One case documented in Nautan concerns a woman whose family faced severe economic and social insecurity following the death of her husband. SAVERA workers visited the family, assessed its immediate needs, and supported efforts to obtain essential documents and access government social-security provisions.
The organisation facilitated steps related to a death certificate, social-security assistance, and widow pension, while also supporting efforts to obtain Aadhaar documentation needed for the daughters’ enrolment in school and Anganwadi services.
The intervention recognised that a family in crisis may simultaneously need help with income, documentation, children’s education, and access to government schemes.
The change:
From navigating a crisis alone to having a community organisation help connect the family with available support systems.
Supporting Education When a Family Faces Hardship
Another case from Nautan concerns a student from a Musahar community whose father works as a migrant labourer. A serious health emergency involving his grandfather placed additional financial pressure on the household at a time when the student also needed resources for his Class 10 examination.
SAVERA mobilised immediate community support for medical treatment and also engaged with the school regarding the student’s educational needs. The organisation committed to supporting examination-related expenses so that the financial crisis would not interrupt his studies.
For SAVERA, protecting a child’s education sometimes means responding to challenges affecting the whole family.
The change:
From the risk of discontinuing education to having support to remain connected with school and complete an important stage of learning.
From Emergency Assistance to Livelihood
In Bairiya, SAVERA documented the case of a woman from a vulnerable household who received a sewing machine through emergency support. A family member with tailoring experience helped provide practical training in operating the machine, cutting fabric, and stitching garments.
She gradually began stitching garments and exploring tailoring as a livelihood opportunity.
The case reflects SAVERA’s broader approach: emergency assistance should, wherever possible, help a family move towards greater self-reliance rather than remain dependent on short-term support.
The change:
From immediate economic vulnerability to developing a skill and a possible source of livelihood.
Small Interventions. Lasting Possibilities.
These stories represent the way SAVERA works: close to communities, responsive to immediate difficulties, but always looking beyond the immediate problem.
A child returning to school can reduce vulnerability to child labour. A worker recovering wages can restore confidence in claiming rights. A widow accessing social protection can better support her children. A migrant worker becoming a peer educator can help many other families.
This is how community-level change grows—one person, one family, and one collective action at a time.