What was Day 4, again?
April 16th, 2009 by megan
It’s officially been a month since I left India, so before my memory fails me and I lose the details that make this enjoyable:
Day 4: A Higher Education
On this lovely, Friday morning I was going to meet some of the first Hearts’ Cry sponsored children. The highest education available in Mattampally is 10th class, so we were on our way to the nearby city of Kodad. The real test of a sponsorship program is to see how the children’s lives are affected in the long term. And, not to spoil the story, but I was pleasantly surprised by the students’ progress. Several of the higher ed. students have been sponsored for nearly 10 years, and have grown from the thin, malnourished children in their first photos into strong, healthy and dedicated young men and women. Most have several years more education than their parents and they will all be the first in the family to hold undergraduate degrees. They will be respected engineers, nurses, doctors and bio-technicians.
Podala and friends at nursing college
We went to several Colleges that day and met many of our sponsored students. But, the one interview that stuck with me the most was with Rajashwari. I interviewed her outside of her hostel (dorm), and even met her father. Rajeshwari is finishing her 12th class and then will move on to engineering college. She is the third daughter in her family, and has the highest level of education.
Rajeshwari and her father
Her father also came to meet me. Although his primary residence is in Mattampally, and though he suffers from acute arthritis, he does daily construction work in Kodad to help support his daughter and family. It was easy to see that education is a priority for this family. But, what impressed me the most was not Rajeshwari’s father’s dedication to his daughter’s education, but her opinion of Hearts’ Cry. Rajeshwari was the first student to mention the values that she has learned from being a Hearts’ Cry sponsored child. She told me that ’social work’ for the poor will always be a priority for her. She mentioned that with the money that she earns as an engineer, she’ll first take care of her parents and then help the poor.
Father George and Wilfred not only offer these children support for their education, they also help to instill in them the value of service. These children know to ‘pay it forward,’ and realize that because their American sponsors have been so generous to help them out of poverty, they ought to do the same. Rajeshwari was only one of many students who mentioned the desire to help others. Sponsorship not only helps these children but also improves all the lives that they will touch. As Rajeshwari moves through her life she will remember the generosity and the care of her sponsors and share that with the less-fortunate. Her renewed sense of hope and desire to give others hope will live on.
Swathi
