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LOCAL PHYSICIAN BRINGS HOPE TO ORPHANS IN INDIA.

By Candy Richter - Times Editor.

Dr. Nilima Sabharwal, a pathologist at Kaiser Santa Teresa Medical Center, recently returned from a month in India evaluating the progress of her non-profit organization, Home of Hope, Inc. in its on going efforts to improve the living conditions and health of India's orphans.

Founded by Sabharwal in May 1999, Home of Hope was inspired by the selfless work done by a group of women volunteers in an orphanage in India similarly named, Children's Home of Hope. " I heard about my friend's mother's friend in India who had started this orphanage in 1974 and now it has 120 children. She needed funding for essential things." says Sabharwal. With that infor- mation, in 1998 Sabharwal organized a modest fundraising dinner in San Ramon that raised $10,000. "The result was amazing. They (the orphanage)were able to build a bathroom.That simple bathroom will now decrease the instances of gastroenteritis.". The money also helped the orphanage buy a preowned van.

Seeing the effects of her efforts first-hand, Sabharwal decided to take steps to organize a non- profit organization and conduct another fundraising dinner in 1999. This fundraiser raised $22,000 for the Children's Home of Hope, helping the organization construct an in-house clinic and a multi- purpose room for the children.

In 2000, Sabharwal raised $10,000 for Udayan Care in New Delhi. With her most recent trip to India Sabharwal has identified two new projects. She says that she is very fortunate to work for Kaiser Permanente; due to its size and scale, she is able to continue her trips to India to provide the funds these orphanages so desperately need.