There are five new children that have joined the shelter in the past week. We are not accepting any new ones (for reality of not being able to financially support anymore at this time), but these children do not have a father and so we did not want to turn them away. Pictures to come soon.
Gypsy Children
The children before coming to the Shelter
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Shelter Activities
The kids playing Cricket
Future India Cricket Team
Dinner Time
Hair Cuts!
Off to School
The Children
Here are the kids:
Nayanthra
Dhanush
Sakthivel
Ajith
Thrisha
Sarthivel M
Cowsaliya
Karthick
History and Vision
History:
The Gypsies are considered the lowest caste in India; because of this they live the poorest lives, literally under a tree with relatively no shelter. Because of the caste system they are not able to work and for many begging for food is their only provision. The gypsies are a community based society. When they are given food they bring it back to the colony to share, so there is even less. The children have no future. They do not attend school (for many years they were not allowed to because of their caste) and because of their lack of education and interaction with "civil" society they behave very primitively. Calvary Ministries has been working with the gypsies for years. Previously, the gypsies lived in the same town as Calvary Ministries and staff members fought for years to get the children in the schools and finally succeeded! Every morning a staff member would pick up the children, bath them (which is a huge task), and get them off to school. They also provided a daycare for them in which they were able to feed the children one meal a day. In December of 2010 a terrible event happened and the gypsy colony was attacked. People were injured and women rapped and the children scattered. There was no reason for this attack except that because of their caste some people think they do not deserve to live. For the safety of the colony they were forced to move villages and the children (some still missing) were too far to attend school or come to the daycare. Three years of hard work for these people was undone by this tragic event. It was always a hope of Calvary Ministries to provided a full time, permanent shelter for these children. A place where they can grow up safe and healthy, with a education and therefore a future. This event brought into light how much a shelter was really needed. And now, by the grace of God, the shelter is a reality.
Current:
The shelter offically started on Monday March 14th with eight children all between the ages of 5 and 12. Most of the children are orphans, but some have a parent(s) that wants a better future for their child; all are welcome. Although it has started, it is by no means permanent. There are no consistent funds for the shelter and it runs fully off of donations. The initial costs were donated, but consumable things such as; food, soap, shampoo, clothes will need to be purchased every month. Also the home they are living in is a rental and it is a vision to eventually build a permanent residence for these children. The children live with Pastor Deva Kumar and his wife Maria and their two children. This caring family has taken on the sacrifice to raise these children, but they are in no way able to support 10 children on their own financially, not to mention the many more children that are in need that the shelter simply cannot support right now.
Goal:
The goal of this shelter is to raise these children to the age of 18, at which point their future is their decision although they will be encouraged to attend college and pursue a career . Calvary Ministries would also like to eventually buy a plot of land and build a permanent residence for the children.
Needs:
The children have had clothes donated, but they are very tattered and do not fit correctly. As mentioned, there is also no consistent income for the shelter so money for food, soap, transportation (gas) are all needed continuously. If you would like to donate please click the donation link. It is through PayPal so you may need to set up an account to donate, but it is fast, easy and completely safe. PayPal does take a small percentage (approx 2%), but every cent that we receive goes directly to the shelter.
As you can see these children are raised in a life of hopelessness. Everywhere they turn there is poverty and pain. We not only desire to take them out of their dire living conditions, but to introduce them to Jesus and an entirely new way to view life. We want to show them the love of the Lord and help them see there is hope in Him. As they come to know the Lord and learn about the life he can offer we believe they can bring change to their society. It is not one child or 10 that we hope to affect, but an entire generation. Will you help us invest in changing the face of India.
The Gypsies are considered the lowest caste in India; because of this they live the poorest lives, literally under a tree with relatively no shelter. Because of the caste system they are not able to work and for many begging for food is their only provision. The gypsies are a community based society. When they are given food they bring it back to the colony to share, so there is even less. The children have no future. They do not attend school (for many years they were not allowed to because of their caste) and because of their lack of education and interaction with "civil" society they behave very primitively. Calvary Ministries has been working with the gypsies for years. Previously, the gypsies lived in the same town as Calvary Ministries and staff members fought for years to get the children in the schools and finally succeeded! Every morning a staff member would pick up the children, bath them (which is a huge task), and get them off to school. They also provided a daycare for them in which they were able to feed the children one meal a day. In December of 2010 a terrible event happened and the gypsy colony was attacked. People were injured and women rapped and the children scattered. There was no reason for this attack except that because of their caste some people think they do not deserve to live. For the safety of the colony they were forced to move villages and the children (some still missing) were too far to attend school or come to the daycare. Three years of hard work for these people was undone by this tragic event. It was always a hope of Calvary Ministries to provided a full time, permanent shelter for these children. A place where they can grow up safe and healthy, with a education and therefore a future. This event brought into light how much a shelter was really needed. And now, by the grace of God, the shelter is a reality.
Current:
The shelter offically started on Monday March 14th with eight children all between the ages of 5 and 12. Most of the children are orphans, but some have a parent(s) that wants a better future for their child; all are welcome. Although it has started, it is by no means permanent. There are no consistent funds for the shelter and it runs fully off of donations. The initial costs were donated, but consumable things such as; food, soap, shampoo, clothes will need to be purchased every month. Also the home they are living in is a rental and it is a vision to eventually build a permanent residence for these children. The children live with Pastor Deva Kumar and his wife Maria and their two children. This caring family has taken on the sacrifice to raise these children, but they are in no way able to support 10 children on their own financially, not to mention the many more children that are in need that the shelter simply cannot support right now.
Goal:
The goal of this shelter is to raise these children to the age of 18, at which point their future is their decision although they will be encouraged to attend college and pursue a career . Calvary Ministries would also like to eventually buy a plot of land and build a permanent residence for the children.
Needs:
The children have had clothes donated, but they are very tattered and do not fit correctly. As mentioned, there is also no consistent income for the shelter so money for food, soap, transportation (gas) are all needed continuously. If you would like to donate please click the donation link. It is through PayPal so you may need to set up an account to donate, but it is fast, easy and completely safe. PayPal does take a small percentage (approx 2%), but every cent that we receive goes directly to the shelter.
As you can see these children are raised in a life of hopelessness. Everywhere they turn there is poverty and pain. We not only desire to take them out of their dire living conditions, but to introduce them to Jesus and an entirely new way to view life. We want to show them the love of the Lord and help them see there is hope in Him. As they come to know the Lord and learn about the life he can offer we believe they can bring change to their society. It is not one child or 10 that we hope to affect, but an entire generation. Will you help us invest in changing the face of India.
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