Carrie Wehrman

Known and Loved More than Skin Deep.

Leprosy is no joke in India. Jayraman and Madathesri would know. Both have had leprosy for around 30 years. In India, leprosy is not just a disease. It’s viewed as a curse from the gods. The person infected with leprosy becomes the disease, not just a person battling it. There is intense prejudice and little care given to those with leprosy. They are left to live in isolation because no one wants to be around them. They are considered “untouchables” in society. They are neglected. Rejected. Ignored. Unwanted. Abandoned. Left to themselves with no help or treatment.

Because of the lack of care, Jayraman and Madathesri’s physical condition has only gotten worse. Jayraman has experienced a loss of vision, and his arms and hands are affected. Madathesri’s hands have been affected the most, and she can hardly use her fingers.

The two of them have been married for about eight years now, and have a beautiful and healthy son and daughter in elementary school, hoping to complete their education. But achieving this goal is difficult when there are requirements for school fees to be paid, and they don’t have enough money to do so.

Because of the neglect and stigma they face in society, no one wants to hire them. Even if someone did hire them, they couldn’t work because their leprosy has gotten so bad that their hands cannot complete tasks, at least with ease. They are dependent on money or donations from others for their needs or are forced to pull from their slim savings.

Right now, some of their greatest needs include food and surgeries to treat the effects of their leprosy. Through the help of The Hope Venture’s Medical Kit Project, Jayraman and Madathesri have received medical supplies, clothing, and groceries in the medical kits they were given. These items are simple, and while they might not completely cure their leprosy, it shows that they are cared for and provides assistance to them when nobody else will. Another big piece of giving care to them came from Martin, a volunteer for the Medical Kit Project.

One day, he saw Jayraman walking along the road outside. Martin ran out, his feet frantically trying to place themselves back under himself, picking up pace as he rushed to meet Jayraman. Martin’s cheeks were tight from the big smile lighting up his face. He gently placed his arm around Jayraman’s shoulders as he came to greet him. Martin was not afraid to touch Jayraman, to be in his presence. Both of the men’s faces were beaming as they talked, displaying an excitement of connection—just one of the many ways Jayraman has found belonging and community.

Jayraman and Madathesri have been able to experience a pocket of community where they are no longer the outcasts of society. They aren’t neglected—they are cared for. They aren’t rejected—they are cherished for the humans that they are. They aren’t unwanted—they are welcomed with open arms. They aren’t abandoned—they have people coming alongside them and around them to help them out.

It’s in moments like this that hope is so vibrant for them. To be known and accepted as they are in their medical condition is evidence of the love poured out for them. Some of the steps taken to help them have been small, but it’s in these small steps that they see the realness of the love and acceptance they are being embraced with.

The adventure of persistent hope.

Madhaven is one of those guys that just seems to have new crazy stories about his life that get uncovered every time you interact with him. He will start telling a story about something that happened in his life and you can’t help but let your jaw drop. He has a lot of years under his belt at 75 years old, but at the same time, he is also one of the most youthful-spirited guys you’ll ever meet. He is persistent and driven, joyful and hopeful – determined to live life to the fullest with many adventures ensuing along the way.

One of his crazy adventures stems all the way back to his birth. Madhaven was born without his left arm from the elbow down. This was a journey that Madhaven didn’t choose to embark on. It has proved to be an obstacle throughout his life as he navigates embracing the  adaptability of completing daily tasks in creative ways due to his disability.

In his aging, other health problems have come up for Madhaven. He often gets pain in his neck that won’t go away. He also has to put in a lot of effort to take a full, deep breath – his lungs don’t have the capacity and strength that they once had. He battles chronic asthma and is often wheezing, begging his lungs to fill and deflate with ease. It has been bothering him for over two years. These health issues may be small, but it adds up for Madhaven, especially when he would prefer to be on the move, collecting and chopping firewood, taking care of his cattle, farm, and family.

Fortunately, Madhaven doesn’t let these health concerns get in his way of living his life to the fullest. Every week, Madhaven walks to the Jack Norman Hope Center in Masinagudi where he is able to get free healthcare and treatment provided by Dr. Sally and Dr. Babu. Madhaven says he would have died long ago if it weren’t for the great care he continually receives from Dr. Sally and Dr. Babu, who to Madhaven have become “mom and pop.” The bond and care built and received by Madhaven at the Jack Norman Center have been an adventure beyond his health – it touches his heart. 

Madhaven can delight in the clean and safe environment brought by the Jack Norman Hope Center where he repeatedly gets good care for his health. He can see a physical difference being made in his daily life as he is brought up to better health and takes joy in this change. He is given dignity as he gets his needs met at the facility.

Madhaven isn’t pain free. His life is still tough. But Madhaven only sees his difficulties as hurdles to leap over, continuing on the path beyond them. The Jack Norman Center is a springboard for Madhaven, helping him over his health obstacles. He is full of optimism, joy, and humor. Despite the hard things Madhaven is walking through, if you had a conversation with him, he would make you smile. He’d tell ya stories about his younger years, brag on his family – his four kids, his eight grandkids, or his beautiful wife who passed away four years ago. He’d crack some jokes, tell you about the hope he has found in Jesus, and make you feel so seen and known after concluding your conversation with a firm handshake, looking at you with his eyes sparkling, crinkled in a friendly squint from his persistent smile.

Bringing light and new beginnings at the Home of Hope.

Darkness consumed Veena’s life. She grew up without the presence of her father in the home. She lived with her mother, sister, and grandmother. They farmed a small plot of land, growing ragi, a grain crop. Veena eventually got married, had a child, and left the small farm. She really loved her husband and cherished the life they were beginning to build together. Then her husband began to get mistreated at work. This was challenging for him and it really began to take a toll on him. He turned to alcohol to cope with the challenges at work and developed cancer from his alcohol consumption. He died shortly after their son, Rameet, was born. Veena became very depressed after the passing of her husband. His death was a tragedy for her. Then, shortly after her husband’s death, her mother also passed away. The two deaths at the same time were unbearable for Veena. She felt alone and hopeless. She started wandering the streets. She was so depressed she didn’t even want to live in a house because that would mean having to come home to it each day – empty – because her family members were no longer living there. So Veena was content with living on the streets because it meant she could avoid some of the memories of what home once was.

She spent four years on the streets with her son. Veena and Rameet were covered in lice and flies. There was no bathing. They had no food. Veena did not care for herself or her son, leaving many health issues untreated. All the deaths in her family that she had experienced were painful for her, but she didn’t want to dwell on the pain. Instead, she would numb herself from feeling anything at all by blacking out, using alcohol and other substances to mask the pain she was feeling.

Veena didn’t have any hope of her circumstances getting better. She was stuck in a cycle of darkness and depression and didn’t want to do anything to get out of it. Meanwhile, her life and her son’s life were in danger and not in a healthy state.

People in the city recognized this danger, and the police intervened for Veena and Rameet. They called the Home of Hope and they came to pick up Veena and Rameet. The Home of Hope is one of The Hope Venture’s partner organizations that provides shelter and care for over 750 people who have been cast out and neglected in Bangaluru, India.

Things started to turn around for Veena and Rameet after being brought to the Home of Hope. It took a while for Veena to realize where she was and what was happening, but each day she made some improvements in all aspects of her physical and mental health. She began to enjoy her time in the Home of Hope. Medicine was provided for her and she was able to actually sleep through the night and truly rest for the first time in seven years. Her health and hygiene began to improve. She began to learn to eat, interact with others, and work again.

As she grew more comfortable there, opportunities for work around the home started to open up. She worked in healthcare for a few years before she was married, and because of her time at the Home of Hope, she was able to revisit, remember, and relearn her work as a nurse. Now Veena loves working at the Home of Hope and is proud to work there and take care of others. She serves the people there so well and gets excited to see them improve in their condition, just as she did when she was first brought to the Home of Hope.

Now Veena has only one dream – to have her son educated. Rameet was never in school previously – all he knew was living on the streets. But the Home of Hope has helped get Rameet into school. Veena’s dream is now a reality. Rameet went to school for the first time ever in fifth grade. He was able to start getting caught up in his schooling through the support of the Home of Hope, and now Rameet is heading into sixth grade.

Veena’s life has been radically changed because of the Home of Hope. The darkness that once completely consumed her life does not have a hold on her anymore. No longer is Veena on the streets. She is working a job that she sees value in, her health is in good standing, and her son is getting an education. These are all things that bring joy and light into Veena’s life, and she is sharing that light with others.

The sweet aroma of a student scholarship.

Steam rises in slow waves, swirling into the air from the plate set down in front of you. You feel the warmth from the food pressing into your face as you gaze down. You inhale the aroma of the freshly battered fried chicken. The tender meat is covered in a contrasting crunch of the batter, fried to a crisp. Shifting your eyes to the kitchen, you see a young girl, smiling and dancing as she stirs a pot of vegetables. As she plates the food and hands it to the hungry dinner guests, it’s as if the plate is screaming, “I love you” to each guest from the cook herself.

This is the message Winnie joyfully conveys each time she cooks. She tells her mother to sit down and relax – to let Winnie do the cooking instead. She fully displays her commitment and care to her mother and family each time she steps into the kitchen.

Before Winnie began cooking on her own, her mother taught her all the cooking skills she had mastered herself. They worked side by side in the kitchen, whipping up chapati and rice. Winnie’s cooking skills also expanded in school in her home science class.

Cooking is what Winnie loves to do. She is thrilled that she is able to learn more about cooking at school too. But she didn’t always have access to an education to be able to do so. She lives in a slum called Mathare in Nairobi, Kenya. Her family didn’t have enough money to provide an education for Winnie. At only 15 years old – living in the slums with no access to education – Winnie’s future seemed destined for a life in the slums.

But what a surprise it was to Winnie when a normal day of lounging on the couch in her home turned into an unforgettably joyful day. Tears of thanks streamed down her face after hearing the news that she had received a scholarship to go to school thanks to The Hope Venture and their partnership with Agape Integrated Group. Winnie never thought she would get to go to school, or even that she would be chosen as a recipient of a scholarship. But here she was, crying, dancing, and singing praise after hearing the news of her scholarship.

Now that Winnie is in school, she wants to work hard to achieve her dreams of being a chef. Winnie loves food. The process of food – from garden to table. Making food and knowing how to cook it – boiling, baking, chopping, frying. Eating food – yum! There are so many elements to food that Winnie loves. And not only does she understand that making food is a process, but she sees the process in attending school as well. She wants to be diligent in attending classes, studying, doing her best work, and experiencing the joy of it all throughout the process, keeping her eyes fixed on her goal of becoming a professional chef one day.

A deep desire to love and care well as a mother.

Hellen deeply desires to be a good mom to her three kids: a 17-year-old son, a 13-year-old daughter, and an 8-year-old daughter. She loves them immeasurably, and wants to do everything she can to take care of them, making sure they have all they need to live comfortably and happily.

One way this desire flowed out of Hellen for years was her continual commitment and effort to get milk for her kids to drink. In Oletukat, the village in Kenya where they live, getting milk was not an easy or convenient task. Hellen would frequently have to travel or send someone else to the nearest town 20 minutes away to get milk. This had to happen because in a house full of growing teenagers, food seemed to disappear almost as soon as it came into the house, and Hellen was determined to keep milk constantly supplied for her children.

Hellen and her family received a goat from The Hope Venture in January of 2022. This meant that the frequent trips into town for milk could stop! Her family could get milk directly from their own goat. This gave Hellen assurance and confidence that she was being a good mom by knowing exactly where the milk she was feeding her children was coming from. Oftentimes, the milk sold in town would have water or chemicals added to it, which decreased the nutritional benefit.

Additionally, because they didn’t have to go into town to go get milk, the family saved a lot of time. Now they can spend more time together, or spend more time focusing on their farm where they raise chickens, maize, and beans. This also provides a way for Hellen to be a good mom to her kids – teaching them to work hard. Her son, Henry, has even taken ownership of milking the goat every day.

The family’s goat milk is not only available for drinking, but also to make chai tea, cookies, and traditional veggies for the family. The nutritional benefits extend beyond just drinking the milk and also make the menu at home more exciting!

Hellen’s desire to be a good mom for her children is enough to show how much she loves them, and that makes her a good mom in itself. Receiving a goat from The Hope Venture aids her efforts and makes it easier on her, so she doesn’t have to constantly strive beyond her capacity to provide everything for them.

Simpler ways to water access.

Getting a glass of water to drink is simple. Grab a clean glass from the cupboard, take about three steps over to the sink (or maybe even to the fridge with its filtered water dispenser), turn on the faucet, and wait a few seconds for the glass to fill up. Voilà! A refreshing, clean glass of cold water. So simple.

But what if it wasn’t simple? It certainly isn’t for Wycliffe and his family in Oletukat, Kenya. They have no water in their home. They have to walk four kilometers (that’s roughly 5,400 steps!) to the nearest water source, and sometimes up to eight kilometers – just to get some water. This isn’t just a small inconvenience either – this means no water for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, washing clothes, showering, flushing toilets, and no water for animals or plants either. Wycliffe and his family spend so much time walking to a water source each day, and the water available to them isn’t even clean. Plus, they use containers to collect water that are used both by humans and animals, which contaminates the water even more. This leads to many water borne diseases which are constantly infecting the family, like cholera, dysentery, and amebiasis. Then, due to the nature of these diseases, the family has to make more frequent trips to the toilet. However, without access to a toilet, Wycliffe’s family often has to resort to using the bushes nearby for this purpose. Then the waste just sits there, and others can be exposed to it when they go to use the bushes, and the spread of disease multiplies. As a result, everyone in the family gets sick and they have to make frequent trips to the doctor to get medications and care, which gets very costly.

Wycliffe faces these water and sanitation issues daily, and has to try to lead his family through it. He is a husband and a father to six kids. Three kids are in elementary school, two are in preschool, and one is too young for school. Wycliffe also serves his parents by caring for them on top of caring for his own family. To earn some income and get some food for his family, Wycliffe tries to do some small scale farming. The farming operations do alright, but drought often plagues the community too.

Wycliffe was trying to serve his family well, but all these water issues couldn’t be solved by Wycliffe on his own. What a daunting task! However, Wycliffe and his family were able to take part in a project with The Hope Venture, through a connection with our partner, Nasha Ministries, Wycliffe and his family were able to move towards some solutions. Through the project with The Hope Venture, a water source has been brought nearer to their community in Oletukat. Wycliffe and his family were able to get a toilet. They also got sanitation training. The combination of these things led to diseases being far less common in their household, which also meant fewer trips to the doctor and fewer expenses because of doctor bills. The family has much more time for other things, since they don’t have to spend so much time walking to and from the water source. And now, when they collect water, they can have access to cleaner, more sanitary water.

The benefits of this project haven’t just stayed within Wycliffe’s family. They open their home and toilet to many people in their community, so they also can have a safe and sanitary experience. Not only do they open up their resources to others, but they are constantly educating others in their community about sanitation practices.

Now so many people in the community want to get toilets installed for their homes too. Overall, with more and more toilets and sanitation education happening in the community, there is less disease occurring in the community as a whole, and people are healthier. People have a lot more time on their hands too, since the water is closer to them. Kids can go to school since they don’t have to worry about fetching water each day. Wycliffe’s family, and the community as a whole, hope for continued improvements, including more toilets and more sanitation, which leads to healthier communities.

Jovial… Yeah. That’s her!!

I don’t know about you, but for me, “jovial” is not a word that is commonly used in the vocabulary of people around me. If someone asked me for the definition of jovial, I would probably have to tell them that I didn’t know. I could try to make a guess of what it means if someone used it in a sentence for me. But, basically, I’m telling you that I wouldn’t know what jovial means. But then I came across the word when reading information sent to us from our partner, Fanuel, who helps direct our student sponsorship program in Mathare, one of the poorest regions in the world, home to a collection of slums in Nairobi, Kenya. This information was about a girl in the region named Abigael.

I was reading Abigael’s bio. From the instant I read that “Abigael is a jovial girl,” I became intrigued with this word and what it meant about Abigael. I knew the word must mean something positive about her, but I didn’t know exactly what. So I did some digging. I took a visit to dictionary.com, where jovial was defined as “endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship.” Synonyms for jovial include cheery, jolly, pleasant, delightful, companionable, lighthearted, and good-natured.

This was striking to me. Jovial was the only word used to directly describe Abigael’s demeanor. Abigael, being described as jovial – cheery, pleasant and joyous – even when I knew that Abigael came from one of the most disadvantaged situations in the world was astonishing. In Mathare, where she lives, the living conditions are horrible. The sewage system is poor, with waste flowing down the streets, there’s garbage everywhere, and families live crammed into shanty houses, which are built from materials like wood and mud. Not many kids who grow up in the slums are able to get an education, because their families don’t have money to pay for school fees. This means they can’t get a good job later on in life, and they will likely also have to raise their own kids in the slums.

Abigael grew up in a family of five with a single mother taking care of all of them. Her mother had a small business selling tea, which brought in some income for the family, but not a lot. It was hard to pay for food, and especially for school fees. Her mom would often have to go borrow food from a nearby shop just so they could survive.

These circumstances are the reality of Abigael’s life.

And yet, she is still described as jovial. Jolly. Delightful. Lighthearted.

Abigael aspires to become a surgeon. She wants to save lives, especially the lives of those in her community. She hopes that VineYard, a hospital in Kenya, will start a branch location of the hospital in Mathare, so that she can work there. She wants to inspire her community and transform it through her work as a surgeon and through all she is able to accomplish. She doesn’t want her community to stay as it is. She wants improvement.

Abigael’s aspirations and her jovial personality were inspiring in and of themselves. But yet again, we are brought back to the circumstances of her life. Abigael wasn’t able to attend school because of the financial circumstances of her family. This meant there would be no way for her to even have the opportunity to work towards her goals. Without a high school education, there is no college education, and no medical school.

However, Abigael connected with our partner, Fanuel, who was able to help her get a student sponsorship. This sponsorship paid for all her school fees, and now, Abigael has access to an education. She is able to go to high school, which opens up opportunities for her to work towards going on to college, medical school, and becoming a surgeon.

After learning all of this about Abigael, I can see that “jovial” is a perfect word to describe her. I can see it in her desire to transform her community, in her incredible work ethic, and in her heart for caring for others as a surgeon someday. I can see that her hope comes from within her, rooted in her relationship with Jesus, so that not even her circumstances in life can take away her joy.

A scooter and a helping hand.

Beep beep! Watch out, Vaikunthan is coming through on his brand new scooter! He sits in splendor atop his two-wheeler, the sun reflecting off the shiny black steel, his hands gripping the handlebars that give him control of his journey. He weaves in and out of traffic as he rolls along the road in the Jawadhu Hills region in southern India. Vaikunthan is on his way to the wholesale market to buy some goods in bulk that he can turn around and sell in his small provision store that he runs in front of his home.

It’s a blessing that Vaikunthan can visit the market on his own, able to make his own business decisions about what to purchase, and then get it back to his own store on his own time. Vaikunthan hasn’t always been able to do this by himself.

A few years ago, Vaikunthan was collecting jackfruit to sell in his store. He climbed a tree to cut the fruit from the branches. While he was up in the tree, he lost his balance and fell. He endured fractures in both legs and severe nerve damage in both feet, losing all sensitivity in the lower portion of his legs. This accident resulted in a permanent handicap, leaving Vaikunthan unable to walk.

Because of this accident, Vaikunthan had to rely on others to go to the market for him so he could keep his provision store open. It was far too great of a distance for him to walk. While it was wonderful that people were helping him out, they saw it as an opportunity for their own gain as well. Vaikunthan would repeatedly get cheated during these business exchanges, with people taking advantage of his inability to watch what they may do with the product after purchasing it at the wholesale market and before delivering it (or just some of it) back to Vaikunthan for his store.

One day, Vaikunthan had a customer visit and shop at his store. Throughout his time shopping, Vaikunthan and Mr. Velu, the customer, got to talking. Mr. Velu heard about Vaikunthan’s accident, disability, and difficulties with getting goods for his store. Mr. Velu, a coordinator with The Hope Venture in Jawadhu Hills, was moved and wanted to help Vaikunthan find a solution. The Hope Venture has a project establishing community development centers in Jawadhu Hills, aiming to support the community, helping with needs that arise, and Mr. Velu takes part in aiding the community through that. Mr. Velu researched and figured out the process for getting a free vehicle through the government in their community. Mr. Velu helped Vaikunthan apply for the vehicle, and after a year, they were able to go get a two-wheeler together.

Now Vaikunthan has a way to get around efficiently on his own. He can purchase goods for his store, allowing him to stay in control of his business and maximize his income. Every time he scoots around town, he can remember the provision he received that now gives him independence in his mobility.