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DONORS SPEAK

Bhavna Shyamalan
Executive Director,
M. Night Shyamalan Foundation

What has impressed me the most in every encounter I have had with the staff who make the mission of HOPE a reality, is the utter depth and immovability of commitment to helping people in poverty improve their lives. I have seen the same dedication and compassion in the doorman who guards the entrance of the Asharan orphanage as I have in the women who care directly for the children on a daily basis, and again in the staff charged with the administrative and executive functions of the organization. In each, without exception, there is a deep compassion and a clarity of mission which accounts for the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. It is with their hearts that the staff has succeeded in bringing real transformation and real hope to the people they seek to serve.

Rey Alcocer

Cheerful support of the orphanage in India has a very rewarding experience for me and my family. In the past we supported HOPE's other programs indirectly. Direct involvement with a specific effort has been great. The support of the Asharan orphanage in India was a direct outcome of the vision and passion of Helen Nanjundan (and her husband Mohan). We were very moved and motivated to be a part of the efforts she dreamed and has worked so hard on. We are grateful that we can participate. Our biggest blessing has been the cheerfulness in our hearts. We hope to remain humble and to always remember that what we give is out of what is given to us. We certainly praise those that like many others give their entire life to the right cause of protecting kids and those who in a truly Christian manner, give not from their wealth.

Tidu and Joan Mankoo

Tidu and I, our family, and the Thames Valley church feel so very privileged to be involved with the work of HOPE. It touches our hearts because of the emphasis on exactly this - the good hearts and unselfish nature of the numerous volunteers. These are people that truly believe that all men are equal, and whose compassion stems from gratitude. We are indebted to these women and men for their outstanding example.

HOPE foundation is also outstanding in that it has achieved so much in a relatively short space of time. It has changed a significant number of lives and has far-reaching goals to continue this invaluable work across the globe. This is exciting and reflects great faith.

As a mum, I am touched in a very special way when I see or hear of children's lives literally being saved. Children are the future - how precious to give them a chance to believe in a better life, a better future - maybe their experience will inspire and motivate them to change the life of another...and so it goes on.

This is the miracle that is HOPE foundation - that it changes not only the lives of those it helps directly but it transforms the hearts and minds of all involved. It softens hearts and encourages compassion, reminds us of the fragility of life and the momentousness of love for our fellow men, and reflects the outcome of a life of faith.

>Children | >COH - Delhi II CDP | >Asharan Orphanage

Asharan Orphanage

Started in : 1998 | Lives touched : 383

Brief Summary:

The word “Asharan” has been improvised by putting together two words in the Hindi language: ‘asha’, which means hope and ‘sharan’ that means refuge. Therefore, Asharan would mean a Refuge of Hope – and this is what we try to make for the abandoned and orphaned children who find their way to us. Asharan received its first licence from the Directorate of Social Welfare in June 1997. This enabled us to run the Home but not to place children in adoption. In 1998 the licence, which was for one year was renewed for another year, and along with it, we had the government’s permission to place children locally, in domestic adoption. In December 2002, we were given the certificate to place children internationally. Asharan has the license to house 25 children at the orphanage.

The home provides custody, care, protection, and rehabilitation including adoption of children. It is a great joy to see the children who had gone through a lot of trauma being healed both physically and emotionally at the home. Care for the children at the orphanage is relatively expensive. Most of the children arrive malnourished and in need of special care and medical attention. The orphanage spends heavily on items such as milk, cereals, eggs, and special dietary supplements: utensils, bottles and nipples; detergents, toilet soap and baby oil; clothing and linen; electricity, fuel, and transportation; antiseptic lotions, medicines, laboratory tests and hospitalization; and on-site professional staff such as nurses and paediatricians.

Asharan’s first effort is to restore children to their parents if this is possible. If not, the next effort is to place children in adoption with suitable families, and to give the children within Asharan a secure, loving environment while they stay here. In cases where the child cannot be adopted, the child is transferred to a ‘fit person’ Foster care Home where the child receives the same care and facilities that we offer. The reason for this is that we have a licence to house a limited number of children, depending on the space available with us, our objective is adoption, and for these reasons, we transfer the non-adoptable children to Foster Care Homes.

Children are brought by the police, left at the gate, or in cradles by unknown persons. Some are transferred from hospitals where the parent abandons the child. Often children are relinquished directly by their parents who are unable to take care of them because of one reason or another.

Testimonials:

Riya COH Nagapattinam - Maheswari

Six year old Riya loves to draw, sketch and colour. Her thank you cards have touched many who have visited the Asharan. Due to some problem Riya cannot talk and can only babble. So her drawings have become a way to express her thoughts and display her different moods. She may come across as a stubborn child who wants to have her way. But we do understand the frustration she feels when she sees that others are not able to understand her. We are patient and firm with her, and are confident that as she would grow in her trust for us she will grow in her confidence and peace. She is a quick learner and her artistic aptitude is making her quite popular.