A Chance at Hope
November 29, 2009
This summer I had the opportunity to be part of a wonderful team that joined CHF on its first trip to Bangalore. What a privilege! Prior to the trip, we had team meetings and tried to learn as much as we could about the Indian organizations we would be interacting with. They all sounded pretty amazing but every time we talked about Renuka I was particularly intrigued. I couldn’t wait to meet the lady that had opened her home to offer education services to the teens of the second largest slum in Asia.
When I finally met Renuka I was filled with inspiration. The lady I had heard so much about became Auntie Renuka. A graceful woman with the most gentle and kind spirit, filled with unconditional love for slum teens. One day I got to sit next to her on the bus during a fieldtrip with the teens. During the ride she was filling me in on each student (those on the trip as well as those who couldn’t come). Their names, age, English proficiency, siblings, family life, job status, wpm, you name it! She thought she was getting me acquainted with the students but she was doing more than that. She was opening my eyes to the reality of the destitute in Bangalore. She made me see that more than offering education what she was trying to do is give them a chance at having hope…and it was not easy. I was impressed that she knew so much about each one of her students. She loves them and is investing her life in them. I have a deep admiration and respect for her and feel so honored to have been a part of that, even if it was just for a few days.
As we continued interaction with the other organizations, I noticed a similarity between them. Of course it looked different at each organization but all were aiming to offer hope. A rare commodity when you are born into poverty, and are EXPECTED to remain in it.
The organizations that we worked with have already impact lives by offering the destitute of Bangalore a chance at having hope. It was exciting to see the potential that the organizations have and how CHF could ultimately play a vital role in helping them achieve goals through the provision of different resources. I will never forget my trip to Bangalore with CHF and I can’t wait to hear about partnerships that will arise from this trip!
Rocio Lopez
Summer 2009 Team Witness
