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Dear viewers,

These children have had their lives profoundly affected by the tsunami in 2004. They lost their homes, their possessions, and their families.

With your help, we can truly make a positive difference in the lives of these children in India.

Thank you!

Founder of orphanage, Daniel Gross

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men" (Galatians 6:10)

About the orphanage

Soon after returning from a trip to India in December 2004, I heard the news that a tsunami had hit several coastal areas in India and caused great devastation in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and other areas. On the Indian mainland, there were more than 8,800 dead and thousands more missing. Almost 8,000 of these deaths were in Tamil Nadu. Most of these deaths took place in families that relied upon fishing for their livelihood. The fishing community of Nagappattinam was especially hit hard. It was estimated that only three of 15,000 fishing vessels escaped damage.

Since I had been in this area several times, I was all the more touched by the suffering and grief of these families. Packiyanathan, the founder of Glory of Christ Ministries, and I had been working together for some time to minister to many thousands in India. We immediately began to exchange emails regarding the possibility of starting an orphanage for children whose families were victims of the tsunami. These are children who lost their homes and their parents in the tsunami. As soon as possible, I visited that area and saw firsthand the destruction and talked to some of the survivors.

We are grateful that generous contributions made it possible to carry out our plan to start the orphanage. We now have 28 children in the orphanage, and our goal is to provide a home for 30 children. As funds are pledged, we will keep adding children until we reach 30. Any contribution is helpful and greatly appreciated. If you would be interested in sponsoring a child, you can do that for $50 per month. We can then send you the name of the child, along with a photo, and further information about the child. You also would have the opportunity to correspond with the child, if you wish to do so. Would you like to sponsor a child?

The children at the orphanage were from very poor families before the tsunami and then were left completely destitute after the tsunami. When we brought them to the orphanage, they were thrilled to get three meals per day because most of them were eating one simple meal each day. We are working very hard to provide them with a safe and comfortable place to live with nutritious meals, good medical care, etc. We also are emphasizing education - the orphanage is located near a public school. We have four adults living full- time in the orphanage (one couple serving as the managers, one cook, and one woman to help with whatever is needed). One of the women personally tutors all the children in the evenings and on weekends. Some of the children struggled in school at first, but are making rapid progress due to the personal attention they get in the orphanage. Our goal is to have the children stay in the orphanage until they have completed high school, and in some cases college, so that they can earn their own living.

We seek to provide an enriching environment for the children in all ways. During the summer, we provide them opportunities to take special classes in computer skills, swimming, writing, and other areas. We also have regular Bible classes in which the children are systematically taught the Bible along with learning songs and memorizing Bible verses.

Our dream is to start more orphanages since there are still many thousands of children that need loving daily care and guidance.

- Founder of orphanage, Daniel Gross