Educate 100 orphan girls in rural India

Latha is an orphan girl child, looked after by her widowed mother. She is now doing her post graduate in clinical nutrition. She belongs to rural village area in Namakkal and from a dis-advantaged community. It is a common culture in her community that once girl attains puberty, they get her married off. When she was 14 years old, proposals came for her, but her mother was very firm in not getting her married. Though she had been ridiculed for the decision, she stood very firm that she will have her daughter educated as she realized the importance of education and had approached Buds of Christ, when Latha was in 8^th standard. She has been receiving support with books and uniform during her schooling and currently for her college, the course fees, books and bags are supported.

Anu and Seetha are two orphan girls studying in the primary classes and under the care of their grandparents. Their father deserted them and their mother died when they were very small. Their grandfather has been bed ridden for the last 13 years after a stroke and the sole supporter for the children are their aged grandmother. Both the girls are also survivors of a chronic illness. They manage the household expenses through the old age pension scheme that comes through the social security scheme. The costs for bags, books and uniforms are a burden at the start of the academic year, which is now met through the educational support of Buds of Christ. This has helped the children go to school with wearing new uniforms and new bags and book like their other school mates.

Every academic year Buds of Christ provides support to ensure the girl children are in school and continue education and poverty should not be a hindrance to it. For 2019 academic year, Buds of Christ extended support to more than 60-orphaned girl children to light their lives and enable prevention of school dropouts.