Kalaiarasu was ten years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. What started as a minor pain in his joints soon led him to being hospitalized three days a week. Despite pain and suffering, he has a story to tell about all the love, care and support given to him within his HoPE Learning...
Though we often share stories about HoPE Center children who do not have parents, or whose parents are abusive or alcoholic, many others come from families who are caring and intact… but also coping with extreme poverty. This is the case with a 9th grade student named Sripriya and her...
Karuppaiya lost his wife a few years ago. He lives alone in a small decrepit hut and receives a government stipend of approximately Rs. 1000. This is not enough to cover the costs of daily rations of watery rice. In addition, Karuppaiya walks half a mile to fetch water because there is not a...
Chandra and her husband do not have children to look after them. Other relatives deserted them because they suffer from Leprosy. Due to long-term illness, neither can return to work as laborers. All they can do is beg for alms here and there to survive. They live in a single room built by the...
Tamil is a seventh grader who lives with his parents and three siblings. He is a loving child with many fine qualities, but, for good reasons, he still occasionally struggles with trust issues. In addition to enduring seizures and a speech impediment, Tamil’s family life has been tremendously...
Palanisamy, from Pachapalayam, India, an active child with strong social values, shared with his HoPE Learning Center teachers his concern for the village bus stop. It was run down, dirty and had become a shelter for stray cattle over the past few years. When the teachers asked him what he thought...
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...
Tailoring and Science may seem like very different subjects to learn about in school, but we assure you that both can be taught to eager young students harmoniously en tandem. During our summer workshops, Mrs. Lakshmi and Mrs. Stella trained the children in Tailoring, a skill which will allow many...
Learning how to make something beautiful or useful = learning a skill that can provide essential life income. And basketry is such a skill. Ms. Karpagam Meenakshi conducted vocational classes on basket making for Hope Learning Center children. She also taught creative crafts, including bowls...
Q: What could be sweeter than a cake baking class? A: A cake baking class teaching children a skill to support themselves and their families held at a HoPE Learning Center in Coimbatore, India. Mrs. Elizabeth came from the Middle East and brought along recipes for many types of cakes. Her...
Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. At a recent summer vocational training class held at a HoPE Learning Center in Coimbatore, children were taught how to recognize inner beauty and how to make everyone more beautiful on the outside as well. Long-time beautician Mrs. Nithya, taught eager...
Looking back with tears in her eyes, Chinnaka described the day when she first heard the news that her son and daughter-in-law died in a motor vehicle accident in which they were traveling. It was the day that she gave up singing due to sorrow and stress. Chinnaka was suddenly the full-time...