Sim Song worked hard to pass her Grade 12 exam in Cambodia. But her farming family could not afford university, so she gave up her studies and went back to the rice fields.

Then a village health volunteer asked her a simple question that changed her path. Through ADRA Cambodia's TOGETHER project, Sim Song joined youth leadership training and became a youth group leader, helping young women who have left school stay connected to learning. Today she also works as a kindergarten teacher, a first step towards her dream of becoming a teacher.

This is a story about second chances, growing confidence, and young people shaping their communities.

Written by Kong Phano and Yun Monyrath, ADRA Cambodia. Published by the ADRA Asia Regional Office.

The TOGETHER project is implemented by ADRA Cambodia with funding from the Government of Canada, supported by ADRA Canada, SickKids and Salanga.

Read the full story: https://adraasia.org/from-the-rice-field-to-the-classroom/


ADRA Asia Stories shares real stories of justice, compassion and love from communities across Asia. Each episode is a narrated version of a story from the ADRA Asia Regional Office, which supports 17 country offices across the region. ADRA is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Read the full stories at adraasia.org.

Devi BK knows what it means to be excluded. As a Dalit woman in Nepal, she faced caste-based discrimination for much of her life. Instead of giving up, she started a small enterprise making plates and bowls from Sal tree leaves, to create work for women facing the same barriers.

For years, the business struggled. Then support through the Samvardhan Project helped her buy better machinery and grow. According to the story, the enterprise now employs 45 women from different backgrounds, including women from so-called higher and lower castes and former bonded labourers, working side by side.

This is a story about dignity, inclusion, and how one woman's determination is helping many families build a more secure future.

An impact story from ADRA Nepal, published by the ADRA Asia Regional Office. The Samvardhan Project is funded by the European Union, the Austrian Development Cooperation and ADRA Austria, and implemented with ADRA Nepal and partners in Banke and Bardiya districts.

Read the full story: https://adraasia.org/the-woman-who-turned-sal-leaves-into-dignity/


ADRA Asia Stories shares real stories of justice, compassion and love from communities across Asia. Each episode is a narrated version of a story from the ADRA Asia Regional Office, which supports 17 country offices across the region. ADRA is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Read the full stories at adraasia.org.

For years, Rosnawati and her husband planted corn the way their neighbours always had, using cheap seeds and old habits, with little to show for their hard work. Then Rosnawati joined ADRA Indonesia's REAF II project in Omu Village, Indonesia.

Through seven field school sessions, she learned Good Agricultural Practices: better seeds, correct plant spacing, fertilising twice a season and pruning. She says her harvest grew from around 500 kilograms to 2 tons, from the same amount of seed.

This is a story of how knowledge, confidence and small changes can help a family move from survival to hope.

An impact story from ADRA Indonesia, published by the ADRA Asia Regional Office.

Read the full story: https://adraasia.org/she-changed-one-thing-her-whole-farm-changed/

ADRA Asia Stories shares real stories of justice, compassion and love from communities across Asia. Each episode is a narrated version of a story from the ADRA Asia Regional Office, which supports 17 country offices across the region. ADRA is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Read the full stories at adraasia.org.

Where does hope start? In this op-ed, ADRA International President Paulo Lopes reflects on how compassion becomes hope when it turns into action — from a shared meal to a neighbour who shows up. He shares how the Adventist Church's OneVoice27 movement and a Global Day of Compassion invite people everywhere to see the need, show compassion, take action, and bring hope.
Written by Paulo Lopes, President, ADRA International. First published by ADRA International on 14 September 2026.

Read the original: https://adra.org/hope-starts-here-compassion-in-action
More stories: https://adraasia.org/media/news-blog/

ADRA Asia Stories shares real stories of justice, compassion and love from communities across Asia. Each episode is a narrated version of a story from the ADRA Asia Regional Office, which supports 17 country offices across the region. ADRA is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Read the full stories at adraasia.org.