Mission: A collaboration with the salesian, carmelite and franciscan clarist sisters to rescue, house and educate 1000+ orphan girls, the unwanted "street children", and assist in the education of 70,000 boys and girls, the poorest of the poor.
Programs: Building: major construction occurred during 2017 and we are just months away from completing orphanages 6 at tangla, assam and 7 bangalore. Orphanages 8 churachandpur in manipur and 9 dimapur in nagaland are under construction and should be completed by late 2018 our orphanages now are home for 1000+ girls and many thousands more have received temporary shelter until they could be reunited with families. All our orphanages have dormitories, study rooms, computers, sanitary kitchen and bathing facilities in addition to a sustainable water harvesting and storage system. Need for buildings at 10 carmel jyoti, manipur and 11 alphonsa home, bongaigaon, assam -critical need for sheltering vulnerable girls and providing them education. - these new orphanages are for children orphaned by aids, some of whom are hiv-positive. -many children are abandoned here as people come for work and cannot afford to keep their children, so we need more space. -girls are rescued or found abandoned and have to sleep in classrooms, on the floorwherever we can find room. No decent place to sleep or wash up. -and the numbers of girls keeps growing because of ethnic clashes, broken homes, and unmarried mothers with children they cannot raise. -girls are given faith formation, health and hygiene class, plus they learn skills so they can support themselves: computer and basics in tailoring for girls who are lacking a skill. -homes range from 50 to over 100 girls. And provide a bright future. Education: this is the sixth year for our exciting new program, the "thinking schools academy. " led by dr. David paige of bellarmine university in louisville, the objective is to teach methods to teachers so that they might encourage higher level thinking in their instruction. Too much of indian education is based around memorization. With "thinking schools," we are preparing our indian students to be problem solvers, to "think outside the box," to be creative and innovative. We have now provided basic and advanced training for over 1,050 teachers in 43 schools. We are demonstrating that it can be the model for education throughout india and in other developing countries. We supplied 25,000 in scholarship grants. We provided funds for musical instruments and instructor fees. Health and wellness: we procured grants to fund critically needed medical procedures. We provided funds for purchase of nutritious brown rice, fruits and vegetables to supplement diets. We purchased chickens and a chicken coop. We continue to supply backup electricity systems and other critically needed services.
This is an incredibly effective charitable group. I personally know several local volunteers and they are tremendously dedicated and inspired by the founder Paul Wilkes. I've been a donor for several years and enjoy the way the organization stays in touch with you, keeping you up-to-date on how the funds are used and showing the impact on the lives of these beautiful children. Having traveled in India many years ago I've seen firsthand the unimaginable poverty and conditions that these children come from. The task of helping them seems overwhelming, but Paul Wilkes simply rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He has built an amazing organization that makes a real impact. Anyone can feel good about making a donation... they make it go a long way. I love the calendar they send to donors . . . seeing the faces of the girls that Home of Hope helps every day of the year makes you feel good to be a part of it.
In 2010 I traveled with a group to Kochi, India to do service at one of the orphanages sponsored by the Home of Hope and run by the Silesian Sisters. This is how I was introduced to the director of Homes of Hope, Dr. Paul Wilkes. His devotion to transforming the lives of the poorest of poor girls in this part of India inspired me join in and volunteer in any way I could. I came to understand how education, safety and love given these girls can change and promote a better life for them. I am so grateful for being part of a growing Home of Hope team of volunteers led by Dr. Wilkes and his board. Mary Wilson
We found Homes of Hope through a family friend prior to our visiting India in December of 2011. While in Bangalore we visited the orphanage run by Sister Ancy and were deeply touched by the amazing work and by the children that we met. This is truly a wonderful cause and extremely well run organization. We were able to see first hand how dedicated the Sisters are to creating a refuge and stable environment for the orphaned girls. It was amazing how happy, well adjusted and full of hope these girls seemed to be. We spent an afternoon there, were treated to a Christmas Lunch and dance performance by the girls. Our one regret was that we didn't spend more time there and certainly plan on returning when our children are a little older.
Home of Hope is a wonderful organization. It is well organized and well run. The executive director is incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated to the program. He works tirelessly to raise funds and encourage volunteers. Plus he travels to India twice a year to visit many locations and check on the work. In addition to contributing to Home of Hope I have had the privilege of visiting an orphanage and 2 schools in India. The first time as a visitor and the second as a volunteer. Both times I was very impressed by the Sisters and the children. The sisters were very gracious, knowligible and hard working and the children were extremely happy, outgoing and disciplined. They loved to show off their English. I will continue to personally contribute to and support Home of Hope any way I can. As a member off the Wilmington Rotary Club I will also continue to lead support for Home of Hope. For 2 years in a row we, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Downtown Cochin, have applied for and received a $25,000 grant to purchase and install water purification systems in 15 Home of Hope facilities.
