DSM has founded two sewing training centers for women of all ages. Much like the children’s schools, these sewing training centers are designed to help raise women out of the cycle of poverty. Women caught in desperate financial situations are frequently forced into either difficult labor or compromising physical or sexual situations. By giving women an education in a trade, DSM hopes to pull women out of poverty in rural Pakistani villages as well as present them with the Gospel.
Currently, each sewing training center enrolls ten women for each 6-month training session. They attend Bible studies and train under women who are proficient in the sewing trade. Each woman graduates with their own sewing machine and the knowledge they need to begin their own sewing business.
DSM has founded two children’s schools in Pakistan. These schools are located near poor villages known as “brick kiln villages,” where the majority of families are caught in a generational cycle of poverty. The most common form of employment is working in the brick kilns, which is extremely demanding labor with no way to advance and few options to leave. Education is the solution.
These Christian schools are available to both Christian and Muslim families in the area, so they are fantastic outreach opportunities as well as a way to provide children with the quality education they need to succeed. These schools employ local teachers and principals to educate the enrolled children, and they offer students ages 4-16 the chance to learn.
DSM is training future ministers and evangelists to reach their local contexts around the world. Currently, DSM has one ministry team in Pakistan made up of local Christians who study the Bible and serve their communities. Deborah is frequently able to teach this ministry team via video chat. DSM’s hope is that this ministry team will continue to multiply and spread throughout Pakistan and, eventually, around the globe.
Cultivating change begins at the local level. DSM is committed to helping men, women, and children improve their lives in their local contexts.