CRY America Project PORD
Lalithamma: Hero in a Saree
CRY Project Partner Lalithamma, from People’s Organization for Rural Development [PORD], Andhra Pradesh, joined the 2025 CRY America Galas to share her experiences addressing issues of education, child labor & child marriage. The stories of transformation from her project were truly inspiring, like those of Kalpana and Mahesh.
Kalpana dropped out of school when she was in Grade 8 to support her family by selling vegetables. Project PORD counseled Kalpana and her parents about the importance of education. Due to their efforts, Kalpana was able to return to school. She excelled in her exams with a 9.8 GPA and went on to complete an engineering degree and a professional skill-building program. She now works in a well-known company and wants to lift her family out of the circle of poverty and child labor.
Mahesh’s story is another example of how CRY America Projects make transformative changes in the lives of children and their communities. Mahesh, like many underprivileged children, had to drop out of school to support his family. He started working as a farm laborer. When Project PORD identified his situation, they counseled Mahesh and his family on the negatives of child labor and advantages of staying in school. Due to the project’s efforts, Mahesh enrolled in a residential school and excelled in his studies. He went on to gain an M.Sc degree and today, he works as a Field Officer at a well-known bank. He gives back by mentoring children in his community and promoting their education.
View what Mahesh has to say about his own transformation:
These are just two remarkable stories from Project PORD in Andhra Pradesh. CRY America, through the generosity of donors like you, has funded over a 100 such projects that have impacted the lives of 800,000 children living across 5,027 villages, slums and tribal communities.
