Priyanka lives with her parents and grandmother. Her family struggles with wages but live in a tidy two-parent home, which is rare among her peers. Her father runs a small hotel in their Arcotkuppam, where she attends a HoPE Learning Center. She has one younger brother and enjoys playing indoor...
Manjula is the oldest child in her family. She has always felt responsible for her two-year-old brother because her parents haven’t taken care of them. Her mother used to work in the neighborhood and brought home scraps of food when she could. Since her father was an alcoholic who verbally...
Kanagavalli is such an energetic and happy person that one can never imagine the tears she holds back when she speaks about her life as it was prior to HoPE. All seemed well enough for a while. Kanagavalli was married and had an adorable baby girl named Abinaya. Her husband earned just enough to...
September is Hunger Action Month, a time when people across the world take stands against hunger in tangible ways! No one should have to go hungry, and Hunger Action Month reminds us that there are those out there who need the help of a kind people with open hands because there are more than...
As many children in western nations gear up to return to school in September, children in India have been back in their classrooms since the start of their academic year in July. Returning to classrooms after weeks of getting to roam outside is never easy, but the children in India often welcome...
Sneha is in the seventh standard at a government high school in Goa. She lives with her father, mother and three younger sisters. The only source of income for her family is from her father, who is a driver. Even though they are all grateful that he is employed, the pay is meager for a family of...
Kaaliyamal tries her best to repress heart-wrenching memories of days when she was abandoned by her daughters after her husband’s death. She lived on her own struggling to get through every single day until we found her. Kaaliyamal was married off when she was very young and had five daughters...
Thinakaran is attending 7th-grade classes in Vedambur. His father and his mother work as farm laborers. He has two elder brothers. Thinakaran’s parents earn very low income but still go without necessities to allow all three to attend school instead of join them working in the fields. They...
Malayayi is a single mother, abandoned in pregnancy by her husband. With no one to depend on, Malayayi took refuge with the members of her family until her pregnancy was over. Malayayi was blessed with a baby girl, but was not in an emotional state to celebrate the birth. Malayayi says, “I had...
Bhavani is only in the 5th grade but speaks about her life as if she was many years older. She lives with her grandparents and her mother in a small hut in her village in Madurai. Her mother works as a maid at neighboring houses and brings home leftovers when she can. Bhavani was barely a year old...
When asked how she feels, Kuppammal, with tears in her eyes, says that no one is around to help care for her. After losing her husband at an early age; she brought up her daughters alone until they got married and abandoned her. Sadly, in many parts of India today, widows and the elderly fall...
Sahil lost his father a few years ago to suicide. His mother could not provide for him, so she sent him to live with his uncle. When he first arrived at his HoPE Learning Center, Sahil was withdrawn and had no interest in academics. He was mischievous in certain ways, which indicated high...
