"We give them happiness"

Posted: July 8, 2010   By: Holly Drake

HYDERABAD, India – Ravi was just 6 years old when tragedy struck his family; his father passed away and only a few months later, his mother as well—both from AIDS.

Ravi went to live with his grandmother, but when she could no longer provide him with proper nutrition and an education, she sent him to an organization that could care for him.

But Ravi’s health did not improve—in fact, it was worsening and a suspicious-looking skin infection caused his caretakers to send him to the hospital for treatment.

“The doctor told me, I want to test you for HIV/AIDs,” Ravi said. “He took the blood test and the doctor told me, ‘You are positive.’ ”

In India, once children are diagnosed as having HIV/AIDS, they are often abandoned by their families and treated like outcasts in society.

But thankfully, one man’s vision is helping to change that. 

Three years ago, Father Raj, a Catholic priest in Hyderabad, had a vision for opening a center that would provide refuge for children with HIV/AIDS.

With help from Operation Blessing and compassionate donors like you, today Father Raj’s vision has become Rakshana Deepam, a home to 40 orphans, including Ravi, who receive loving care, nutritious meals, medical treatment, and the opportunity to go to school.

“The ultimate aim for us is, when they are here, we give them happiness. They can live life in fullness,” said one of the sisters overseeing the children’s care.

Ravi is living proof of that. Since coming to live at the center, his life has changed dramatically.

Thanks to regular medical care, he is in good health and back in school. He is studying English and loves to play cricket. In other words, at 13 years old, Ravi is a normal boy. And he has dreams for the future.

“I want to learn about computers and computer engineering,” he says. “I will do that business.”

Operation Blessing provides monthly support to Rakshana Deepam to help with nutrition, medicine and school supplies.