Over the years, Children’s Hope India has supported these services and much more. We’ve impacted the lives of 250,000 children—making it possible for them to receive an education, job training, medical care, and counseling.
But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, many of the children who participate in CHI projects go on to become healthy, confident, and self-sufficient adults who achieve academic and professional success that impacts their families and communities. A graduate from one of our Delhi projects is attending the Indian Institute of Technology—the premiere, and most selective, university in India! The first in his family to go to college, this young man’s higher education will undoubtedly have positive repercussions on his family.
With its holistic approach, the organization supports children from “cradle to career.” From crèches to balwadis (preschools), from non-formal education centers to remedial classes for middle and high school students, from vocational training for older adolescents to self-help groups for mothers, the organization stands with children and their families and puts them on a better path.
Children’s Hope India recognizes the particular hardships girls face, especially in getting an education. So our social workers make a special effort to meet with the parents of girls to ensure they get a chance to go to school or participate in our non-formal education centers, and not be kept home to take care of younger siblings or sent off to work. As a result, girls make up 60% or more of the classroom in many of our projects.
In many cases, the organization has accomplished more than its original scope of work, fostering long-term change. For example, in Nallasopora, in outer Mumbai, the organization originally supported one preschool for 25 children, but has since expanded to fund a school for 250 children from preschool through 10th grade. And our work with the community does not end there; the school has become a source of support and information for the parents, who are looking for help with a range of problems and have few other places to turn.
CHI is fully committed to the communities it serves. And our projects are quick to adapt when needs change or unexpected priorities emerge. We currently support more than 20 projects and since its inception, the organization has invested more than $3 million in life-transforming projects throughout India, in disaster-hit regions, and in the U.S. With continued support and growth, we expect our impact to expand further. We won’t stop till every child counts.