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Extracts taken from Indian West - June 09, 1999.

- Sonia Sabharwal

Hillsborough, CA - Like many privileged American teens, I often become absorbed in a trivial world of teenage problems. My name is Sonia Sabharwal and I live in Hillsborough, California. Sheltered and immersed in my own goals and concerns, I recently made a trip to Home of Hope Orphanage in Chennai, South India during my spring break in April 2000. My stay at the orphanage and direct interaction with underprivileged young orphans opened my eyes to an amazing reality. I was amazed by the children's contentment with life though they lacked much I comparison with American children. Love radiated from their souls toward me as they welcomed my family and myself into their home. Their unconditional happiness despite their meager living conditions has inspired me to do more good work for the underprivileged and destitute children in this world.

I have been actively involved during the past two years in raising funds for the orphanage;however it was only until my visit in April of this year that I saw how far these funds have gone in facilitating huge improvements in the orphanage. I began helping my mother Nilima Sabharwal in raising money for the orphanage in July of 1998. Assisting my mother as a computer secretary and decorator, I helped her organize the first fund raiser. A year later, in July 1999, I donated my birthday celebration to the cause. In place of gifts, I requested donations to Home of Hope,rais- ing approximately $2,000 in total. Finally, during a recent fundraiser on November 6 of last year, I performed Bharatnatyam alongwith Sheena Naidu. By the kindness of David Miller, a lawyer who specializes in living trust, my dance raised $ 25,000. Moved by my dance, Miller donated 25 living trust deeds, in which 25 of his clients directed his fees towards the cause. With these funds and many more donations, Home of Hope has transformed into a healthy, educational and sustaining environment for growing orphans.

During my stay at Home of Hope, the immense appreciation for my family's efforts warmed my heart. They welcomed my family into the orphanage with a simple ceremony expressing their love. The older children in the orphanage organized the ceremony, in which children themselves presented speeches and group dances. Their efforts were immense, and the ceremony was altogether heartwarming.

After the ceremony, young smiling girls tugged me along to see their dorm rooms. Surrounded by twenty or so smiling faces, I entered each room and admired their meager toys. They showed me their treasured belongings with eager faces. Each had only a small chubby and bunk bed, yet they all beamed proudly. During lunch, we sat together in the common large room on banana leaves and ate a full meal of south Indian food. I was impressed by the structured lifestyle of the children as the older children arranged and served the younger ones out of large pots of warm food. Several girls offered their food to me. Others, noticing that I was uncomfortable in the heat, fanned me. Under the boiling Indian sun, I felt a different kind of happiness unlike any other I have felt before.

Although I could'nt speak their language, Tamil, we were able to communicate through gestures and facial expressions. They longed to know of my life, and inquired how many children lived with me in my home. When I told them that I only lived with my brother,mother and father, they were surprised and exclaimed happily that they lived amongst 120 children. Each girl called another their "sister" and Lily Prabhakaran, their "mother". Watching me with wide, bright eyes, they glowed with love for each other and the new friend they found in me.

During the courseof my visit, I taught many of the younger childrem (from ages five to ten) new words in English. My goal was to improve their vocabulary, as they were already receiving two hours of English lessons per day. At the end of the visi, I had them perform a speech I taught them in English for the rest of the children. The results were amazing :these children were eager to learn and grasped the knowledge very readily. Although I did not do much, my efforts were greatly appreciated by the children.

My time was short at Home of Hope Orphanage. Yet the memories will last a lifetime. I felt a novel sense of bliss with these children. This new feeling is now a driving force for me to continue doing charitable work for destitute children in the world. Most importantly, I hope to enlighten others in America of their plight. I have co-founded the organization Home of Hope,Inc with my mother Dr. Nilima Sabharwal. This organization is directed toward helping orphanages like Home of Hope in Chennai all over the world. With this organization and my own personal efforts, I hope to make a difference, one child at a time.

(For more informatiom about Home of Hope Inc. contact Sonia or Nilima Sabharwal at (650)574-0374.) (Non-profit charitable organization, TAX ID#94-33423)