You could say Aravind is a veteran when it comes to the Home of Hope… well-seasoned, wise, steady, weathered, and been around for quite some time. He is just 22 years old, and 17 of those years have been spent living in and around the Home of Hope, a homeless shelter in Bengaluru, India, run by our partner, Raja.
Aravind first came to the Home of Hope with his mom when he was a baby, but she ended up dying when he was only three years old. He no longer had his mom, but he had lots of people caring for him and could always count on someone taking him into an embrace, their face lighting up as he entered the shelter each day. The Home of Hope truly became his home. The people became his family.
Being at the Home of Hope is all he can remember. When he had nobody left, no money, and nowhere to go, they didn’t let him go. The Home of Hope was able to see him through it all, going with him every step of the way. It’s almost like Aravind and the Home of Hope were entered into a three-legged race, with their ankles tied together. If Aravind went one way, well, you bet the Home of Hope was there with him, supporting him and helping him in any way they could. And this wasn’t just because he was left to their care, orphaned and alone, but because, like I said before, the people at the Home of Hope became his family. They helped present him with the opportunity to go to school all the way through the ninth grade. And then… Aravind found his passion.
Driving.
Aravind loves to drive. He’s in his element when his hands grip the steering wheel in that familiar ten and two. He is the master of the car. He skillfully maneuvers the vehicle through the streets, through the crowds, and delivers the goods to their rightful destinations. And if you know anything about the bumper-to-bumper traffic in Bengaluru, you know that’s no small task. When he drives, he can make things possible that weren’t possible before… he can travel long distances quickly, load up his truck and move lots of things over large areas with little effort, and, his favorite, he can help save lives.
One of the ways he loves to serve through his passion of driving is by driving ambulances, hence the way he saves lives. He now works as an ambulance driver for the Home of Hope, and he gets to carry out his passion every day, in a full-circle kind of way. He once was alone at the Home of Hope… no family, no money, no future plans. Now he gets to help people in circumstances so similar to his own by driving them to the Home of Hope, where they receive the medical care they need, often saving their lives. They also won’t leave without being surrounded by people to love and care for them, giving them opportunities to find their passions and be successful in the future, just like he had when he was left at the Home of Hope.
