When you’re young and newly married, and just setting out together in life, one’s hopes and dreams seem joyfully achievable. When Ashwathamma, at 22 with a four-year-old son, became a widow, all of that changed. But she did not falter. She went to work as a laborer in Bagepalli, India, earning 50 cents a day, and raising her son as best she could. She succeeded, but life was hard.

When her son, Sanjay, grew up and became a husband and father, they stayed together. The family worked a small plot of land for food and a modest income. Then one day, opportunity knocked. The family learned of a local project which helps improve lives by teaching families how to farm more productively and sustainably. During this process, they were given the opportunity to install a biogas digester on their land. This system converts animal waste into clean methane gas for cooking and lighting, and produces organic fertilizer for their crops.

Now, Ashwathamma and her daughter-in-law no longer spend hours every day collecting firewood because they are taking advantage of cleaner cooking methods. The family income has risen, and they have purchased more land and more cows. For Ashwathamma, the hopes and dreams of her youth are now coming true.

With your support, this project will reach its goal of installing 18,000 biogas digesters, helping our climate and our future by eliminating 45,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, making dreams come true for good people like Ashwathamma, and creating a sustainable future. Thank you for your support!