When TB spread through Devi’s village, and half of her family died and she was deathly ill, RPC decided to visit the CCF-CSI project and the village of Kanjikoil. It was the experience of a lifetime. The girl recovered, and after an RPC-funded arranged marriage, delivered a child on RPC’s birthday.

Some years later, with the encouragement of two project staff (S. Issac Walter and RPC's future wife J. Manjula Jesi Ramani), a scheme was set up whereby friends and acquaintances in the USA could directly support a child at the project, to include college or career-oriented training.

As of spring 2007, we have helped nearly 50 such children, and have supplied needed items for the Boys and Girls Boarding Homes in Erode.  This is an area of the world where perhaps 10 percent of children are still not being educated, but work in factories, fields, shops or care for younger siblings.

 We require supported children to write periodically to sponsors in Tamil (which we can translate).  Such sponsors provide between $250-$1,000 (nursing college) per year to cover food, clothing, shelter, education, two gifts, medical care, personal items, a field trip and activities (dance, Scouts, Guides, typing and sewing classes). A group of our children recently won an areawide dance competition. Suresh and Gobu won some of the highest awards in Indian Scouting a few years ago while in the CSI Boys Boarding Home.  Both young men have finished college and are gainfully employed.

 When visiting India, we can always use such items as good/used school bags, watches, studs, BB caps, hair bands, small stuffed animals, stickers, calculators, dance attire, almonds, chocolate, 2012 calendars with USA scenes, bangles, pens or scent.  We share with nearly 500 kids.
 

If you should like more information about this volunteer endeavor of ours, feel free to e-mail us. RPC is a retired newspaper editor; Sharmila is a registered nurse from Tamil Nadu now working in Canton MA USA.