Sponsorships
Information
and Stories
Help a Child Foundation
New Zealand
85 Kahuterawa Road
RD 4 Palmerston North 4474
New Zealand
P: 0064 6 356 8696
E: info@helpachild.co.nz
E: accounts@helpachild.co.nz
W: www.helpachild.co.nz
"The King will reply, "I tell you the
truth, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me."
Matthew 25:40
Together we can Help a Child
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Help a Child New Zealand
Sahana
has just turned 10. Since she was four, she has been living in a children's home. Her grandmother is a devadasi
[temple prostitute] [see overseas information page]. The grandmother's daughter, Sahana's mother, had eloped
with Sahana's father and later gave birth to this little girl. The father died of cancer and so did the mother a year
later, leaving Sahana an orphan. Her grandmother took her in, but was unable to take proper care of her,
because of her old age and poverty. She was persuaded to relinquish Sahana to the children's home.
It is a very good thing that Sahana's grandmother allowed Sahana to live in the home, rather than selling her to
some brothel, or dedicating her to temple prostitution. Now Sahana is a happy, quiet little girl. She has an
opportunity for education and a decent life. She has caretakers who love her, friends to play with, and a sponsor
who prays for her. Lord willing, Sahana will be able to learn a trade and become a godly young woman.
Family receiving a goat:
Poor families are greatly helped when they receive a goat from Help a Child. When the goat gives birth to a kid,
it produces milk, which the family can drink. They can breed and sell the kids, or eat the meat if the kid is a billy
goat. Help a Child teaches them how to look after their goat, which enables contact and outreach to the family.
A great bonus of this program is that the family agrees to gift the first female offspring of this goat to another
family, which 'repays their loan' and teaches gratitude and sharing.
It also means that more and more people can share in the benefits. This photo shows a lady who, out of
thankfulness to God, decided to give both of her female kids to other families in need!
Pauline and her family
live in the slum area of Kibera in Nairobi. Pauline is 7 years old, and has two older brothers and her mother.
Her father deserted the family a while ago, and now mother Maritha has to provide for the needs of her family
on her own. No job is available for Maritha, so feeding her family is hard for her, and a constant worry.
A local social worker approached Help a Child for help for Pauline and her family.
Now, with help of a sponsor, Vincent, Peter and Pauline are able to attend school and the family is being helped
with food, clothing, counselling and medical care. The mother is being helped with starting a small home
industry, so she will not always be dependent on others to provide for their needs.
is a handsome young man 16 years of age. His black hair is well trimmed and, looking at him, his moustache
must be his pride and joy. He lives with his grandmother and his 13-year-old brother in a small 2-room house
in India. His parents have died of HIV/Aids and his grandmother is taking care of her grandsons now.
When we visit, he is happy and his eyes are full of joy. Through interpreters we gather that his faith in God
is strong, he also points at his Bible and a picture on the wall to emphasise the point. When we ask the
grandmother what her biggest worry is, she points to the boy and says, "what will happen to him when I am
gone?" You see, Partheebam is handicapped, he is unable to walk and also has some mental disabilities, which
make neuro-motor skills very difficult. His brother is HIV positive, through his parents, so after both him and his
elderly grandmother have passed away, there is nobody to care for the handicapped boy.
A handicap is a stigma in countries such as India, and not many people [even family members] would offer to
care for Partheebam.
picked up in a car and is able to attend a special school 2-3 days a week where he learns hand co-ordination
skills and other ways to combat some of his difficulties.
Alagappan:
Inside the small house it is dark, most probably another power cut which happens 3 or more times a day.
Usually in our visits, we have to sit on 2 plastic garden chairs, while they all sit on mats on the floor.
Here, we all sit on the floor, there is no furniture, and the other room [the kitchen] is just as empty and bare.
The mother is a 28-year-old widow, who lost her husband to HIV/Aids 4 years ago. He also infected her with
the disease. She has two children, Alagappan who is twelve and also HIV positive and Karpagam, who is 6 years
old and thankfully HIV negative. The mother receives a small widow's pension, but this is not enough for them to
survive. Her parents live about 30 km away and are poor people themselves. They help where they can and
sometimes send some home grown vegetables.
During our visit, the little girl is shy and constantly hides her face in her mother's lap. Alagappan however is
keen to show off his skills. Since Help a Child enables him to go to school, he can now read and while I video
him, he proudly read out loud to us a leaflet about HIV/Aids in his local language, which we cannot understand
at all of course. The leaflet is all the written material available in the home; he does not have his own books.
Then of course I have to show him the footage. He is so excited that he takes over my camera and videos
everything inside. Quick as lightning, he has worked out how to zoom in, zoom out, focus and speak while you
record. He has the time of his life, being the focus of attention and making his mother into a film star, videoing
the caseworkers and us to grotesque proportions.
Alagappan receives the Child sponsorship, which gives him education, schoolbooks, clothing, and medical care.
It also reaches out to the other family members whenever they can, so there is hope and a future for this family.
School Photo:
Education in India is free. So why does Help a Child need to help families you may wonder. The answer is simple;
while government education is 'free', to attend school you are required to provide things such as uniforms and
school supplies, which are not free. Many parents cannot even afford to feed their families properly, let alone
think about spending money [if they have it!] on uniforms, books, and materials.
Parents who are HIV positive and weak and sick also need their children to help them earn money towards the
family income, by assisting on the farm, working as daily labourers [coolies] or even dangerous and menial tasks
such as baking bricks or working in factories. Statistics say that presently 70 million children world-wide do not
go to school. We all understand that education is an important tool to fight poverty.
An traditional Indian saying goes as follows, "If you plan a year ahead, plant coconut. If you plan 5 years ahead,
cultivate rice. But if you are planning for the future, send your child to school." Unfortunately, many families have
no means to send their children to school, nor do they see the need for education as they themselves are illiterate.
Help a Child is an advocate for these children, giving them an opportunity for education, in order to break the cycle
of poverty and despair. If $5.00 is all it takes to give a child the school supplies it needs to start school at the
beginning of the new school year, Help a Child gladly offers these supplies so the child gets a chance for a new
future, and perhaps later, an opportunity to learn a trade. Can you Help a Child too?
Robert
was admitted into our baby home when he was four days old. His father died while his mother was expecting
him. She already had three children to look after and found it difficult to give them proper care and nutrition with
her meagre income. As some time later she moved out of the district without leaving an address, Robert has no
family that he knows of. His sponsor family and the people that look after him are his family.
He spent the first 9 years of his life in the Baby home and was then transferred to a boy's home. He shares his
room with 9 or so other boys similar in age, gets a good education, plenty of outdoor play and his ambition now
is that he wants to become a policeman! There are so many children like Robert, abandoned, left behind, and
forgotten by their real parents. Help a Child makes them see that their Heavenly Father never leaves nor forsakes
them and that their lives are in His hands.
Twins:
These cute looking twins were another two children that were abandoned straight after birth. Sometimes the
mother gives birth in the hospital and then leaves the children behind. Our Help a Child partner then receives
a phone call and after careful investigation, is at times able to take these children into their home. These boys
only weighed 400 grams each at their birth (less than a 500g packet of butter!). The Lord must have a special
plan for their lives, because miraculously, they both survived against all odds.
They have the most gorgeous smiles and are a bundle of mischief, bringing joy and laughter to the caretakers
and staff. It is quite a commitment to sponsor children such as these, as Help a Child retains financial
responsibility for each child until they can look after themselves. These boys will have all their needs supplied,
and, depending on their abilities, learn a trade or be encouraged to study so they can become independent citizens.
Self Help Group Candle Making:
This photo shows a group of three HIV positive ladies making candles, using equipment and material supplied
by Help a Child. This is a self-start system, where the initial supply [in this case candle wax, wicks and packaging
materials] is provided for a person or a group, so that they can become self-employed.
With the profits from the first batch of products they can then re-invest, building their business, as well as at some
stage receiving an income from their profits. In the case of this self help group, the equipment is being loaned by
Help a Child and used on their premises, so that more then one group benefits from this, and thus the outlay for
each group is nil.
There is even one person selling the candles on behalf of the self help groups, so many people profit from the
scheme. Help a Child has other such self help groups as well, sometimes supplying a sewing machine, sometimes
some material to make handbags or supplying a 'one time supply' to set up a small shop. Always people are
encouraged to repay their debt, either by paying the 'loan' back [in 'natura' or 'valuta'] or by helping others as
they have been helped. These particular ladies were so very grateful and happy as they did their work, showing
us their newly gained skills and enthusia
Manjula's Story
Manjula's mother, Pennamma was very young when she was dedicated to be a temple prostitute. She would
entertain anybody for a few rupees. One should not get the idea that she made a lot of money. Temple
prostitution is more of religious duty than a money making profession. Pennamma could hardly support her mother
and four children with her earnings. By the time she had a son and three daughters she had turned into an
alcoholic and a careless wanderer. She often quarrelled with her mother and threw her out of her house.
She joined some cheap band of rural dramatists that provided cheap entertainment. They travelled to different
villages and held their vulgar programs from late night to early morning. Whenever she went on her tour or orgies
her children were left to fend for themselves. Her oldest son lived with his maternal uncle who is a primary school
teacher. His uncle used to tie him to a tree and belt him if he missed school. Unable to bear this cruelty he ran
away. Her oldest daughter was married off at a very young age by a relative who took care of her. Her two
remaining daughters, Manjula and Mamta continued their sorrowful existence with their mother. In spite of
starvation, negligence, lack of loving nurture at a tender age, they survived. Somehow the girls attended the local
school at times. When Manjula was in 4th standard and Mamta in 2nd standard, their maternal uncle convinced
the mother to admit the girls into the Joyful Children’s Home.
My mother delivered a little boy child. My baby brother was just about 6 weeks old when my mother left him with
us and went away on one of her 'tours'. My older brother and sister lived with our relatives.
My grandma did not live with us anymore because of their frequent fights. She started working as a housemaid in
a local rich man’s house to support herself.
I remember that unfortunate day very well. I was 6 years old and my younger sister Mamta four. My baby brother
was very hungry. He wailed so pitifully. My mother was gone. Mamta had gone to grandma, as there was no food
in our house and stayed there overnight. I had one rupee coin in my palm, which I held tight and ran to one of the
families that sold cow’s milk. I knocked at their front door and asked for milk. The woman who opened the door
looked at the coin in my palm and said with disdain, “I’ve not milked the cows yet. Come later.” I ran back home.
I stirred some sugar in water and put the bottle in his mouth.
How hungrily he drank it all! The sugar water kept him quiet for a while. Again after some time he cried and cried
with hunger. This time I carried him to that same house from where I used to buy milk. The people in that house
were watching television. The lady hardly looked at me but said, ”No milk. All over,” and banged the door shut.
My heart sank. I fed him sugared water again and put him to sleep. In the middle of the night he started crying
again. He had become so very weak with starvation. I was so afraid and lonely. I could not bear to see him suffer.
I held him close to my chest and got out of the house. The street dogs barked at me and wagged their tails when
they recognised me. The streets were eerie dark. I could barely see. I was so scared. "Perhaps grandma can help
me", I thought. "Why does my mother go away like that leaving this helpless baby? Oh, God! I hope grandma can
do something to stop the baby crying so much."
I felt so relieved to see her when she herself opened the door and took me and the baby in. She quickly warmed
some milk and fed him. Next morning grandma came home with me.
She got busy cooking something up for us as I had not eaten for two days. My baby brother was sleeping. She
allowed me to go and play with my friends. When I returned I saw he was still sleeping. Some intuition drove me
closer. He wasn’t breathing at all! A shriek broke out of my mouth and tears rolled down my cheeks.
That same day, my mother came back from her wanderings. Someone had seen her near the bus stand. I ran to
meet her. She wasn’t there. I ran back home. Neighbours and some relatives had gathered around. Sometime later
my mother came home. But it was too late. My baby brother was buried in a nearby field. I missed him so much.
My mother continued to be irresponsible and unable to provide us any security. My younger sister Mamta and I
were left to look after ourselves. Sometimes kind neighbours gave us some leftover food to us. I looked for small
jobs to do. When the woodcutter cut firewood for the village restaurant, I carried little piles of wood and stacked
them up. The owner gave little food in return for my service. People threw away tender coconut shells after sipping
its sweet water. Whenever I found them I checked if there was any coconut flesh inside. The sweet white fruit
made a good meal. I shared it with Mamta.
As Grandma and my mother could not get along very well, grandma decided to take me along with her and live in
another town with my maternal uncle. My mother was not willing to part with Mamta. I continued my schooling.
One day, sometime later one of my relatives found Mamta all by herself in a bus. My mother, under the influence
of alcohol, did not even realise she had left Mamta behind in a bus during one of her crazy moments. That man
brought her to us.
A year or two rolled by. My uncle worked as a primary school teacher and he got married. His family started
growing. He found it burdensome to look after us too. That’s when he heard about Joyful Children’s Home in
Dharwad and admitted my sister and me. I was in 4th and my sister in 2nd standard. We were so grateful for the
food, clothing, and shelter we received. There were so many like us in the Home. For the first time we heard about
Jesus who loved the little children. I received Him into my heart.
Sometime later I heard that my mother was murdered. Nobody claimed her body to give her a decent burial.
The village suspected my uncle’s hand in it although there was no proof of his involvement. Others said a 'client'
killed her.
The next time we visited his house, his wife had delivered her second baby. They both did not let me go back to the
Children’s Home. They needed me to wash diapers and do all the household chores. Mama and Papa from
Children’s Home tried to persuade my uncle to send me back. But he did not relent. I was scared to express my
desire to go back to the Children’s Home. I was terrified of him thinking that I would meet the same fate as my
mother. The test of my faith in Christ began in his house. All the spiritual nurture I had received in the Children’s
Home had made me fall in love with Jesus Christ. I had brought my Bible with me. Every morning I read the Word
of God and prayed. I refused to bow down before the idols in my uncle’s house. My aunt was so provoked by my
refusal. She yelled at me and got my uncle to beat me. But I held on to my Lord and Saviour. I knew He would
intervene in my case. In spite of all this my uncle encouraged me to go to school. I passed 7th standard.
During vacation time, he took his wife to visit her family, leaving me with my grandma. This is good opportunity to
escape, I thought. I begged for money from a kind neighbour, boarded a bus and came to the Children’s Home.
My uncle could not do anything to take me back to the village. What a wonderful home-coming it was for me!
What a rejoicing among all the staff and girls of the Home! They had been praying with tears for my return and
they had seen the answer. I finished 10th standard. After finishing one-year Nurse’s Aide Training, I went to
Madhya Pradesh to serve as a volunteer among the Gond tribal children. I returned to Joyful Children’s Home in
April 2008. I wish to serve the Lord in our Children’s Home. When the Lord brings a man of His choice in my life I
would like to marry and establish a Christian home.
Update: The Lord has certainly worked in Manjula's life, and we are so grateful to be able to tell you that she is
hoping to get married on April 14, 2009.
While back in the Joyful Children's home, she met Balash, who was doing a 2 year Bible degree in the Bible school
run by the same people as the home. They both desire God's will for their lives, and have committed their shared
lives to the Lord. They are willing to be sent wherever God wants Balash to work among the villagers to bring the
Good News. We wish Manjula and Balash God's rich blessings for their life, and pray that many people may hear
how wonderful God can work in the lives of His followers.
Together we can Help a Child