Santhosh is a seventh grader who lives with poor, elderly grandparents because his parents died shortly after he was born. Even though he barely has any food to eat, he has great compassion for his animals, and he aspires to become a police officer so that he can fight the wave of crime that has been occurring within his small rural village.
His grandparents work very hard for daily wages, no matter what the work is, but the food they are able to provide is hardly enough to satisfy three people’s hunger. Santhosh says he cannot bear to eat knowing that his grandparents worked hard for it and need it more than he does to survive.
While he skips meals and says that he is not hungry, he goes out to spend time with his animals. He has a pet cow, a cat, a dog and a hen. He and his grandparents earn a very small amount from milking the cow and selling the milk. He says that despite being so poor and hungry, he finds food to feed his animals, as they bring him so much happiness and peace during conflicting times. He feels that when he spends time with them he can momentarily forget about being so poor and hungry and all his other worries.
His house is very poorly constructed using tarp and sticks. Even the slightest rain drenches his family, threatening to fall over head. He thanks his fellow HoPE Learning Center students and coordinator for saving up money and helping him construct a better house which protects him and his grandparents against the weather.
He says that HoPE Learning Center was one of the best things that have ever happened to him. He has learned a lot of good habits, which has greatly improved his life. He is thankful for the snacks which have helped him regain his health after long being malnourished.
Santhosh is grateful to his sponsors. He says he will use this wonderful opportunity to grow into a respectable person. He also says he will grow up and become a police officer to protect poor people from becoming victims of crime.
It doesn’t take much to save the life of a child like Santhosh. For only $10 a month, you can sponsor a HoPE Center child all year long. For $350 a month, you can sponsor an entire HoPE Learning Center that meets the basic needs of 40 children!
