New Beginnings Children’s Home, India

This world trip is not about us. It’s about serving others and rejoicing at what God is doing around the world. We want to live beyond ourselves.

New Beginnings Children’s Home

When we arrived at the children’s home it was late at night. We were tired and hungry after a busy day of travel and having a bit of culture shock, which inevitably happens whenever you come to a new country. The children were nevertheless awake and anxious to meet us. The staff at the home helped us with our bags and showed us to our room. It had plain furnishing and thankfully we had our own restroom. After putting our stuff away we had some dinner and went to bed. Over the next few days we met the children, played games with them, joined in worship, shared from the Bible, and listened to their stories.

Their stories touched our hearts and also gave us hope. The children’s home operates as mostly a boarding home for children who do not have access to school and/or a stable home life which would facilitate their education. The organization in partnership with donors around the world sponsor the children’s schooling, as well as give them 3 meals a day, extra tutoring, and teach them discipline.

 

Who are the Children

The home consists of around 60 children, boys and girls (more girls than boys). There are more girls because if not in school girls can be given into arranged marriages around the age of 14-16 years old. To give birth to a girl is not looked at as a blessing, but instead as a burden because the brides family has to pay a dowry to the husband or his family. This has been outlawed but is still practied in many Indian homes.

The children come from different backgrounds. Some come from single family homes, others are raised by grandparents that don’t make enough money to support them and others come from the slum where they had to work as rag pickers, collecting metal and plastic in order to earn just enough to survive. Others come from families that are farmers and work very long hours and don’t have a stable home life. The children come with their own unique story and most of the stories are very sad, but God has a plan and purpose for each one of them and many children have been sent, brought or even left at the front gate for a better future. Also, most of the children come from Hindu homes, but God works in their hearts.

There are many students that have graduated from the home. Girls graduate after finishing tenth grade and boys graduate after seventh grade. If the students are serious about their studies they are supported financially for their college or technical degree studies. The 10th exam is very important in India. You need to do well on it because it determines your future. It is looked at even during your interview for a job in the future.

Rajvika

Children that are born with special needs or even autism are thought of as cursed and are sent out from the village with the family or sometimes he/she is poisoned.

Katie: This little girl stood out to me for some reason. She always smiled and stuck out her tongue in a very silly way. Before going to bed She would shower me with hugs and kisses over and over again. She would always grab my hand and follow me during the day.

I later found out that she was born with crooked feet. I never even noticed it while I was there but the staff told me her story. Her family had to move away from the village because the people thought she was cursed and that she would be a curse for the village. She has a sister and a brother and her mother has to work very long hours just to support herself. She couldn’t support her children so they were brought to the children’s home. It breaks my heart to know all this but I am so happy that she is where she is right now and that I was a part of her life for a whole week.

 

The Children’s Schedule

The children have an early wake up at 5 am, morning exercise and stretches, and upon finishing their classes there is mandatory extra study time with a local tutor. In the evening they have a few hours of free time during which most of the children come out to the field for group games. Of course boys will be boys and a few of them could always be found inside playing a board game.

At 6pm everyone gathers for a group meal, usually chapati, rice, and some curry. At 7pm they come together for devotions, worship, and prayer. Their bedtime is 9pm since they have an early rise the next morning. The children stay at this home for 10 months out of the year and go home for the holidays to either their parents or their relatives depending on the situation at home. Some of the children stay at the children’s home for the holidays and are treated by the staff as family.

 

Staff

The staff at the home are all so dedicated and faithful to the work that God has called them to. There is a family that stays at the home to make sure everything runs smoothly and they have also hired on staff to cook, help with the garden, and watch after the grounds.  Also, the girls and the boys have house parents that are with them during the day and are there to help them with homework, mentoring, staying on track with the schedule, and loving them.

 

What we did

Before we left on our world trip we both took classes on how to teach English in other countries. Katie finished her course and got a TEFL certificate. During our time at the home she spent time with the children helping them with their English studies. Many of the children are behind in their studies because of their poverty. I (Alex) helped with a few small tasks like setting up a water purifier and leading Bible study. In the evenings we played games with the children and enjoyed a cultural celebration night where the children were surprised with their favorite meal; chicken masala, rice pulao and a sweet dish. The children devoured the food and some even held their tummies because they were so full.

Katie took many pictures of the children, the home and the staff. She didn’t want to leave without them having the pictures so one of the days we went into town and printed out all the photos. The children made a craft frame and glued their pictures on. They were overjoyed and proud of their portraits.

I noticed there were very few books at the home. I really enjoy reading and have found that a love of reading has shaped a lot of who I am today. We went into the city to look at a few second hand book shops. We picked out some children’s books in Hindi, Marati, as well as English. The children were really happy to get them and promised to read them to us when we come back.

Together every night we prepared a Bible lesson and shared our story with the children. Our four lessons were about how God has a plan and a purpose for each person and He gives us His power to overcome difficulties and do the work that He has prepared for us. One of the Sunday’s  Katie and I were invited to a local church where we were greeted with a special flower garland. We encouraged the believers with a passage from the Bible. Afterwards, all the women wanted to take a picture with Katie and have her hold an Indian baby.

 

 

Below are a few stories from the children’s perspective:

Alanuska

I have been at this home for 3 years already and I’m currently in 6th grade. Before I came here I lived with my mother in a slum. The conditions there were very bad and we often had nothing to eat. With no running water or sanitation it was easy to get sick. My mom works for a bag making company and earns very little money. Ever since I have started coming to this school I have rarely seen my mother. During our school holiday I stay with my uncle who lives nearby. My mother comes to visit me about once a year because she makes very little money and cannot afford to travel. I miss her very much. When I grow up I hope to be a doctor and help sick people.

 

Samart

When I grow up I plan to be a professional breakdancer. I am twelve years old and I live here with my older brother who is fourteen. Even though he is older we are in the same grade. When I was younger I got very sick and the doctors were not sure if I would survive. During this time my mom couldn’t afford to send him to school. My dad is a traveling migrant worker and he comes to see us about once a year. My mom works as a laborer at the hospital in our village.

 

Karina

My parents are both tailors in the city. I have an older sister and a younger brother. My older sister is 14. She is married and with a baby boy already. My parents saw that she did not want to study and figured it would be better if she was married. That way she would have responsibilities and would not waste her time watching TV and playing. I am serious about my studies so my parents will allow me to go to school instead of getting married. When I grow up I want to be a policewoman. I want to help women who are being taken advantage of.

 

Ajay

When I grow up I hope to be an Engineer. I enjoy studying as well as playing cricket. When I go home for the holidays I spend all my time playing because my parents are not at home. They work as laborers in a rebar making company and carry heavy loads all day. When they come home they are very tired. There is no one to control my sister and I.

 

Esther

My father is a designer. Unfortunately he is also a heavy drinker so the money that he makes does not make it home. There are five kids in our family. Our mother is gone. She died from kerosene burning her up when I was 3 so I don’t know exactly how it happened. One of my older sisters is happily married and has a baby boy. My other sister is going to school full time. One of my brothers is 25 and he has left the house to travel and look for work. My other brother is 13 and he is also a laborer. During free time I enjoy running like the wind. When I grow up I want to be a policewoman to help people out.

 

Takeaway

In order to avoid endangering the ministry we have avoided mentioning the exact location of the children’s home. The religion in India is Hindu. Christianity is not encouraged even though it is tolerated. In order to avoid any complications we were asked not to mention any specific names and locations.

In addition, all the children had a chance to choose which names they would go by in our article. Their choices were sometimes similar to their own names and other times completely different.

This world trip is not about us. It’s about serving others and rejoicing at what God is doing around the world. We want to live beyond ourselves. If you have been touched by the stories or if God is calling you to do something, we want to give you an opportunity to serve!

Click on this link to sponsor a child or donate to a specific need!