We appreciate your interest in becoming a sponsor!
Click here to start a sponsorship
SevaChildren was started in response to one of India's modern tragedies where estimated 80 million homeless and poor children live. Today, SevaChildren focus on a few villages and slums in Southeast India, where poverty and hopelessness are extreme and the need for support for these children is very important. We work with our Indian sister organization SevaChildren India. Our main priorities are to focusing on children in some areas, and then expanding our services to include more children in the region. We believe that we can make the most of your contributions, by giving greater benefits to more children in need.
SevaChildren helps one child at a time!
In order to fully understand the importance of supporting a single child, and thereby helping the family and the local community, one must understand the conditions and environment of the child and the family; every day, all year and often throughout life.
The families, lives in small houses with only one room and the houses is made of mud, and they must survive on an average income less than $ 6 a day. This will cover all the basic needs of the family. There is no proper floor in the house; they eat their meals here, pray and sleep on this dirty floor. When the rain comes, the floor transforms into mud and water ponds. Most of these families use water from a common public water source in the village. The water is generally of very poor quality and to access it often means long walks. And remember - a walk takes place in extreme heat and also in bad weather conditions.
The families’ simple meals often consist ragi mud / sambhar, or rice / curry. They prepare the food in simple aluminum boilers. For cooking use. There is no air conditioning in these homes. Most of the houses also have only one light bulb provided by local authorities. Most of the houses have no toilet; nor does the local community have any special areas for garbage disposal. The families must therefore use outdoor areas as a toilet. This is degrading, especially for the girls, and probably impossible for us to fully imagine.
The government's support only covers the most necessary in the running of the school. For example, this can be the schoolhouse and the salary of a teacher. No funds are allocated for playgrounds, toys or play equipment. There are no toilets at these schools. No library, no computers, no first aid etc. Very few schools have water tanks - and if they have, the water is of a very poor quality. But all public schools basically provide one meal to the students at lunchtime, consisting of rice / sambhar (Indian curry) and sometimes one egg. However, this does not cover the nutritional needs of the children.
