Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Psalm 82:3

Dear Church Leader,

We are constantly amazed by the powerful ways God uses HOPE worldwide volunteers and staff to bring hope and change the lives of poor, sick and suffering people around the globe. This work would not be possible without support from churches across the U.S. HOPE worldwide would not exist without our indispensable partnership with the churches.

To improve our church communications, HOPE worldwide has been asked to provide church leaders like you with regular updates you can share with your congregation about our partnership in serving the poor. We plan on sending similar updates by email on a monthly basis.

Any comments, questions or suggestions you may have are welcome. Thank you for being a voice for the poor.

Hope That Leads To Change
New Delhi, India - HOPE worldwide’s India affiliate, HOPE foundation, runs a program called “Chotton Ki Asha” (“Hope for the Little Ones” in Hindi) in an urban village within Delhi called Sonia Vihar. Residents lack many of life’s basic necessities. Clean water is often unavailable. Open sewers contain contagious and often deadly diseases. Children are the most vulnerable to disease and death. 

Sangeeta, a young mother who participated in the Hope for the Little Ones program, shared her story. She is a slightly built 20 year old mother of two. Her husband earns $59 a month working in a sari shop. From this meager income, they pay $38 for rent. They barely have enough to survive.

One night Jaswinder, the couple’s one year old daughter, started prolonged vomiting accompanied by diarrhea. Sangeeta started to panic as there was no doctor nearby, but she remembered the advice given to her by Hope for the Little Ones volunteers who had visited her. She spent the whole night giving the child Oral Dehydration Solution they had given her. She had no other alternative.

The next morning Sangeeta was able to take her sick daughter to the doctor. He was surprised to find that the child had survived the disease. Now, Jaswinder is fully recovered. Sangeeta shudders when she remembers that night and her daughter’s near death experience. She is very grateful for the volunteers’ advice and vital medical assistance.

Although Sangeeta’s story had a happy ending, many other mothers in Sonia Vihar are not so fortunate. Many infant deaths in urban slums like this are due to diarrhea. In Sangeeta’s neighborhood, more than one family in seven has experienced the trauma of a child’s death before age five.

Today, almost 54,000 women and children in Sonya Vihar are receiving access to improved health care, nutrition information, and resources that are giving families and their children hope for a healthier future.  HOPE foundation has established five medical facilities within the community. This is the first opportunity for professional medical care for many of the families. Recently, the city government made a landmark decision to open a Primary Urban Health Centre, its first public private partnership of this kind, in this area.  Thousands of children’s lives are being saved.

HOPE worldwide is grateful for church support that makes life changing work like this possible.

Go to www.hopeww.org/churches to learn more about HOPE worldwide today.