Ananya* was orphaned and diagnosed with HIV at 16. She came under the guardianship of her uncle, who confined her to the house and refused to send her to school because of her condition. She quickly became malnourished and fell behind in school, developing a tuberculosis infection that went untreated for months.
Kashvi* was 12 when he was officially diagnosed with HIV. He had grown up on the streets in a single-parent family. After his father’s death, Kashvi’s mother tried to provide for her children as best she could, but she developed jaundice and was hospitalized, thrusting her children further into poverty and desperation.
Tina* lost both her parents to AIDS before being diagnosed herself at the age of 10. After Tina and her older sister were taken in by their sympathetic landlord, Tina began rapidly losing weight and became a sad, shy shell of her former self.
But that was before they were all referred to a children’s recovery home in India where they experienced life-changing, attentive care and all three recovered both health and hope.
After only one year, Ananya recovered from the TB, was connected with a primary care provider and has discovered a love for art and construction. Though she had a lot to catch up on since her absence from school, Ananya is making wonderful progress and studying hard to graduate with her peers.
Kashvi’s mother recovered and is working as a housemaid, and he and his older sister are healthy and ready to be reunified with their family. The children’s home is supporting both their educations, and Kashvi now plans to join the Indian Army upon graduation.
Tina is no longer underweight and has developed into a happy, talkative student who has many friends, sings constantly and loves all creative arts. Because of her experience, she wants to become a nurse when she is older, so that she can help her community be the healthiest it can possibly be.
Because of generous givers like you, the residential children’s home has provided education, medical care and a loving community to hundreds of kids just like these over the past 20 years. They recently expanded to a larger facility to serve more children.
Here, street kids go from having few positive grown-up influences to having intentional adults pour into them spiritually and emotionally. Arts and crafts, sports, one-on-one tutoring and counseling are offered to students in addition to their formal education. Children are also taken to a hospital for checkups and medication refills a minimum of once a month, ensuring that their recovery is monitored and progressing on a regular basis.
We are grateful for your continued support of this life-changing home!
Pray for these kids to be protected from contracting COVID-19, as they are particularly vulnerable. Pray for them to discover their gifts and passions and make the most of this time of recovery and rehabilitation at the home. Finally, pray for complete healing physically, emotionall, and spiritually—many of these kids have experienced complete abandonment, chronic illness, severe neglect and social ostracization before they even reach puberty. We believe God has incredible plans in store for them and that they are meant to make an impact in their nation and neighborhoods!
*Names changed for security.
Published October 9, 2020