Rescue and restoration happen for children when you give. And when you give by December 15, your impact is doubled up to $600,000! That’s double the rescue, double, the restoration, double the impact for children like Suriya.
Suriya loved going to school, playing cricket and daydreaming about his future. Though his family lived in poverty, it did not stop him from believing that he could be anything when he grew up. He had visions of himself soaring high above the clouds as a pilot one day.
But one day, disaster struck and changed Suriya’s life forever.
A cyclone hit southern India and devastated Suriya’s village. His family took shelter in their thatched roof house, but it was not enough to protect them from the violent storm. The high winds snapped a nearby coconut tree which came crashing down and destroyed their home. Suriya, his mother and his siblings were able to escape, but his father didn’t make it out in time.
Suriya’s father was rushed to the hospital and treated for serious injuries. He didn't survive. Now Suriya’s mother was left with a massive medical debt and funeral costs she could not afford.
In this moment of helplessness and vulnerability, a neighboring farmer offered her a loan, but not out of the goodness of his heart. In exchange, Suriya would be forced to work indefinitely on the farm to pay this insurmountable debt. His mother was given no choice.
He would wake up at 5 am to herd over 200 sheep for miles, only to be violently beaten if he lost one. With nothing but some rice slurry for food and a piece of cloth to protect him from the weather, Suriya would often work for days without rest.
“I accepted the fact that this was my reality now... that there was no way out.” Suriya told a caseworker at IJM. “I was scared to fall asleep because I was scared to dream.”
But John, you helped give Suriya a way out. Thanks to your support, IJM could work with a local NGO in India to find and rescue Suriya.
Without you, he may never have been found.
Give today to help children like Suriya dream again in safety and freedom.
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