Carli Huston

Backpacks With a Side of Sizzling Dosa, Warm Smiles, and a Bright Future.

The whole scene was a bit chaotic. It was July 2022 and we had just arrived in Kalandra for the first time in three years to visit our feeding center and backpack recipients there. The village stirred with energy as our car pulled up, and we were greeted by an excited crew of elementary and middle school-aged boys, eager to share their village with us. At the front of the pack, with the biggest, uncontainable smile was Sam Kumar.

He grabbed our hands and directed us through the narrow, winding streets to a small home in the corner of the village. “Is this where you live?” we asked. Beaming with pride he said it was and proceeded to bring his parents out. Sam loves his family and wanted them to share time with us, even though family dynamics haven’t always been easy.

Sam’s dad struggles with an addiction to alcohol and spends most of the family’s income on liquor. His mom has struggled through some heavy bouts with depression, leading to a near-suicide attempt while Sam was present. Through it all though, Sam seems to have a contagious optimism that draws the family together. In fact, his mom was talked down from her suicide attempt by Sam’s encouragement for her to trust God’s provision. Sam’s love is felt by the family but they are still left with some significant struggles. Both of his parents work day to day and the income is so slim. Sam’s dad works as a coconut peeler, and his mom tries to find work as a maid for a local landlord. After the continued dependence on alcohol and a meager supply of food and necessities, there is no money left to spend on an education for Sam. Even though school is government-funded, Sam couldn’t afford to pay for the basic supplies like books, paper, and pencils. Supplies needed by anyone who wants a chance at succeeding in school, and for Sam, success in school could be a lifeline out of poverty.

Everything changed a few years back though. In 2020 we raised money for our Backpack Project at A Night For Hope and we were able to send enough money to our partners to distribute over 5500 backpacks full of school supplies. One of those recipients was a kind and smiley young boy in the little village of Kalandra. Yep, Sam got a backpack thanks to the generous support of a few hundred people gathering together in a parking lot in Lincoln, NE for a Covid-friendly, drive-in fundraiser. And that impact was not insignificant.

Equipped with a backpack full of all the supplies he’d need, Sam now had the confidence to approach school with the same love and enthusiasm that he approached all of life with. But even more than that, Sam got connected to our local partner Aaron who has loved and invested in him. Aaron has started teaching Sam and his family about Jesus and his love for them. They have started to open up their home to the community to have a small church gathering each Sunday and lives are changing forever — all because of a few pencils and notebooks in a backpack.

As we wandered in behind Sam, he and his mom pulled out a small stove and lit a fire. We gathered around as Sam poured fresh batter onto a sizzling skillet, preparing each of us some of the best Indian dosa you’ve ever had. Sam giggled as I tried to help with the dosa and really butchered it. The fire was hot, the food was warm, and the smiles touched us. In the midst of a broken home, in the corner of an impoverished village, hope was stirring. 

Our bodies warm with food, we said our goodbyes and departed out into a now rain-soaked evening. Looking back, we longed for more for Sam and his family. Yet at the same time, his radiant joy reminded us that even on a dreary night, in a cold concrete home, next to a self-consumed, alcoholic father, Sam has hope. The future still holds light.

Hope in Limitation.

I sat on the cold tile with Sylivia and her two daughters: a 13-year-old and a nursing three-month-old. We were in Uganda on the top floor of the malnutrition clinic that The Hope Venture’s brilliant partner, Dr. Emma, had started. In the room outside rang the wails of aching and hungry children, but Sylivia remained…still. Peaceful.

Sylivia was at the clinic because her 13-year-old daughter, Shafic, had cerebral palsy, which led to her being malnourished. Sylivia said she had seen improvements in Shafic since coming to the clinic, and the staff had also educated Sylivia on how to continue feeding her kids with the produce from her own garden back home.

I was so grateful to know that the staff was not only able to help short-term with stabilizing Shafic, but also long-term by equipping Sylivia with the know-how of keeping her kids fed.

It’s people like Dr. Emma and the clinic staff who give me hope that in my limited capacity to help the world, there are people like Sylivia and Shafic who are being reached, cared for, and known by our partners.

A go-getter going places.

We were in Sevanagar, India, attending a graduation ceremony for a group of women who had completed their tailoring program—a vocational training project The Hope Venture has in Southern India. It was a lovely outdoor ceremony, complete with colorful drapery as decor. A couple women sang, and a couple others from the currently enrolled class shared a bit about why they decided to enroll. We were hoping to talk with one of the current students after the ceremony about their story, so I listened intently and took notes as some of them got up to share.

One of the women who shared was named Divya. Dressed in a beautiful black and gray sparkly sari with a red lip to complete the look, she shared that before she took up the tailoring program, she would waste away her free time on her phone every day. My eyes widened in amazement and my head nodded empathetically as I listened. “Huh,” I thought, “I can relate to THAT.” I jotted a note about it on my phone. I was full of awe and respect at how honest she was with all of us. When the ceremony concluded, I looked back through my notes and knew she was who I wanted to talk to.

After the hustle and bustle of celebratory group photos, I picked Divya out from the crowd and asked if I could hear more of her story to share with people back home. “Yes, yes, of course, go ahead,” she replied. We went off to the side and chatted, and one of the first things I learned was that she was 23. I smiled—I’m also 23. I asked about her family. She has an older brother who’s 25. My face lit up in shock and excitement—I have an older brother who’s 25! You know that feeling you get when you meet someone and realize you’re the same age and in a similar life stage? It’s like you’re already friends and now you can relate on a much more personal level? That’s what it was like with Divya. I realized this girl who I thought was far older and more mature than me was actually my own peer and someone I could talk and laugh with as a friend.

We stood and chatted, and I learned more about who she was. She was working full-time at a corporate job, but in India, once you turn 35, you get laid off from your corporate job, whether you’re male or female. She was living with her mom, dad, and brother, but was the only person earning a consistent income and was providing for her whole family. Her mom was a housewife, her dad was a daily wage worker, and her brother had a job, but he was in debt, so all the money he made went to pay off his loan.

Divya was working Monday-Friday, from 3am-12pm. She told me that she loves staying busy, but noticed that once she got home from work, she’d spend the rest of the day on her phone. I shared with her that I could relate, and she sighed and rolled her eyes, acknowledging the bad habit. Back in March Divya decided to make some changes and enrolled in The Hope Venture’s tailoring program. By going to tailoring class after work everyday, she is not only filling her time with something productive, but she’s also looking to the future and learning a skill now that will generate income once she has to leave her job at age 35. Smart.

Now her days look like working from 3am-12pm, traveling an hour back home, spending an hour at home, going to tailoring class from 3-6pm, then going home and doing her tailoring homework. Repeat. My jaw dropped open as she told me this, and she giggled at my reaction. Not a lot of time-wasting there!

I was inspired by how much of a go-getter she was, and she wasn’t stopping with tailoring. Divya loves learning and already has a combination degree in Computer Science, Journalism, and Psychology, and wants to pursue a Masters (maybe two) in Psychology and perhaps Media Journalism.  “Time doesn’t come back to us,” she said. “Learning everything is good. Gaining knowledge is very precious.” Gosh, is she right. The wisdom this girl has.

I left Sevanagar with a new friend, and I think of Divya often. I’m cheering her on as she chases after her aspirations and I can’t wait to see where she goes in life, inspiring others along the way.

Meet Our Most Generous Donor.

Thanks to our network of partners overseas, we’re able to impact thousands of lives each year. In the midst of this impact, we always want to remember the one. The one life, story, moment. Alice was an impactful one.

Living in the barren region of Turkana, Kenya, Alice has known the pain of hunger. We were able to start a pilot project to bring food to the people of Turkana… to Alice. While we figured Alice would save the food, we learned that as soon she received it, she started to give it away to her neighbors. How could she sit by while they experienced hunger too?

She told us, “We were made to help each other.” Woah. Yes, we were. Alice remains an inspiration to us, and may she be an inspiration to you as you jump aboard this adventure.

Leaning on a trusted partner.

We met Epsi in 2018 in Chennai, India. We stood with her in her home, prayed with her, even got beautiful photos of her. We know her. She had been receiving a free meal every day at our local Feeding Center since 2013, and also went on to be part of our Backpack Project, where every year she would receive a backpack filled with all the school supplies she needed for that academic year.

My favorite part about the work we do overseas is that the people who are impacted by our projects don’t just stand in line for a free meal or backpack and then are on their merry way. No, they’re known. They’re seen. You see, we work with all local partners who have roots and relationships established in their communities. They know the people. They speak the language—literally and figuratively. They are the champions of change, and we at The Hope Venture just have the privilege of coming alongside them and helping make it happen.

Sunder Singh is one of those local partners in India, and he’s a hoot. A high energy, caring guy who drips with enthusiasm. He got to know Epsi through her coming to the Chennai Feeding Center, and in a couple years when her house was swept away by floods in 2015, Sunder Singh was there. He stepped in and supplied Epsi and her family with groceries and other essential supplies, a rock of support during a devastating time for the family.

Fast forward a few more years and Epsi had been receiving a backpack each school year. When it came time for her to apply to nursing college, Sunder Singh helped her with that process and she got admitted to a school nearby.

When she was living in a hostel and studying and homesick and wanting to quit, Epsi turned to Sunder Singh. He encouraged her and built her up and told her to hang in there. We’ve all needed to cry out to a trusted adult or mentor in our lives, and that was Sunder Singh for Epsi. Someone to pour into her. Remind her of truth. Encourage her to not give up.

To make the story even sweeter, Epsi also received a two-year scholarship from The Hope Venture, a massive burden lifted. There was no other source Epsi could turn to for financial help, and with the scholarship she was able to finish her studies and get a job working at a private hospital. She made it!

I smile as I write this. Do you know the impact a local partner can have on an individual? Do you know the role you can have in that? Do you know that 50 cents for a meal or 15 dollars for a backpack or 200 dollars for a college scholarship can take someone from not having much hope for their future to working as a nurse at a private hospital earning an income and breaking the cycle of generational poverty? Okay, I’ll let go of your shoulders now and catch my breath, haha.

Look, it’s just true. And that’s the best part. That all of this is true and not me just blowing smoke. If this speaks to you, I’d encourage you to follow that. Make a donation to our India Scholarship Fund and help put more students like Epsi through college. Or meander through our other projects and give to one you care about. There are tangible, positive, long-term effects our partners and projects have on people, and you can have a part in that and make this world a better place.

Doing it differently.

We were in humid Northern India outside Delhi, sitting in Anuja’s cool air conditioned office. Anuja is the principal of Mt. Sinai School, an amazing school The Hope Venture partners with that provides free tuition to 25% of the students who come from impoverished backgrounds, and is sustained by 75% of students who pay for tuition and come from middle and upper class backgrounds.

We were discussing with Anjua and her husband, Deepak, if there was a student who had received free tuition we could chat with about their story. Anuja and Deepak liked the idea and had a student in mind they knew well, but were adamant that he shouldn’t feel different or singled out because he was part of the 25% group. They said that no students know who is paying and who is paid for, and even a student who is paid for might not know that themselves; a value Anuja and Deepak held strongly. We decided we would interview two students: one paying, one paid for. It was a conversation that mattered, and I respected Anuja and Deepak for the call they made. To its core, Mt. Sinai cares about its students and wants everyone to have the same, equal chance at success, no matter their background.

We pulled two boys from class to interview them: Aaditya, yellow shirt, 6th grader, receiving free tuition, and Navyaansh, blue shirt, 7th grader, paying tuition fees. Aaditya was a bit quieter, but had an old soul. Navyaansh was more of a talker and had a subtle confidence to him. They were friends and played on rival soccer teams at recess, which brought smiles and proud claims when asked whose team was better.

What got Aaditya coming to Mt. Sinai was his father’s big desire for him to receive an education from a school that taught English so well. Aaditya was admitted to Mt. Sinai, but in 2019, his father tragically passed away from brain cancer. This happened shortly before COVID-19 hit, and with Aaditya’s mom working full-time and unable to watch Aaditya and his sister, Aaditya stopped attending online classes once COVID-19 was in full swing and got into a bad friend group with older teenage boys.

Anuja took note of this and was concerned about Aaditya, so she reached out to his mom and invited her to come to her office and chat about what they could do for him. Aaditya’s mom was afraid that Mt. Sinai was going to kick him out of school due to his lack of attendance and her lack of ability to keep paying tuition, but Anuja remembered how badly Aaditya’s father wanted him to study there. Anuja offered to give Aaditya free tuition, a huge financial burden lifted off his mother and a way for him to be in a safe, productive place during the day and not out getting into trouble with his friends.

Aaditya returned to the school and was taken under the wing of Anuja and Deepak’s son, whose name is also Aaditya (Aady for short), and is the dean of Mt. Sinai. Aady really worked with Aaditya to get him back on track and succeed not only in school, but in life. Mt. Sinai’s motto is “building global leaders for tomorrow,” and focuses on the four pillars of mental, social, physical, and spiritual development. Mt. Sinai pours into its students at a relational level, and Aady mentoring Aaditya was a perfect example of that.

As for Navyaansh, he started coming to Mt. Sinai because it’s a Christain school, and Christian schools in India put a strong emphasis on teaching English, which was important to him and his parents.

Both boys’ faces lit up when they talked about how much they loved Mt. Sinai and the teachers there. They said that students can call their teachers Mon-Sat anytime before 10pm to get help with homework. I learned that in India it’s sooo common for students to be hit or verbally berated by teachers during class, but Mt. Sinai has a specific “no touch” policy and always builds up their students. Mt. Sinai does things differently, and it’s building a strong foundation in their students to pursue their big dreams and believe they can achieve anything; inspiration we all need in this world.

Both Aaditya and Navyaansh want to be part of the Indian Police Services when they grow up. They value protecting their loved ones and the community at large, and I believe in their capability just as much as their school does.