|   Posted: January 29, 2018

The letters Satish received from his sponsors were filled with love, and they included him as one of their own family.

A Gift of Inclusion

The letters Satish received from his sponsors were filled with love, and they included him as one of their own family.

Satish is an Alumni for Compassion center in India

I grew up in Bangalore, India*, in a very poor family as the youngest of four children. My father was a vegetable vendor, while my mother cared for the home and children.

I became a part of Compassion when I was 4 years old. Hope was ignited in my life, and I began working hard in the school, encouraged by the care of my teachers.

But tragically, when I was still a little boy, I witnessed my father commit suicide by setting himself and our home on fire. My mother was left a widow, and she had to take care of four children below the age of 14 without a job or even a place to live.

Compassion staff stepped in, providing education, shelter and assistance to me and my family. And at the same time, my sponsors spoke words of hope and encouragement to me in the letters they sent.

You must understand that growing up in a poor family in India, I always experienced people neglecting me and never including me in any gatherings as I never wore good clothes and didn’t smell nice. But my sponsor in the letter always said, “I love you.”

Satish participates in an activity at the Compassion center

Satish, left, participates in an activity at the Compassion center.

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Young Satish began attending the Compassion center when he was just 4

Young Satish (front left) began attending the Compassion center when he was just 4.

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I don’t know if you know what it’s like to receive the gift of inclusion, but that is what my sponsors gave me. The letters I received from them were filled with love, and they included me as one of their own family.

Even when my father died, they told me that Jesus loves me no matter what and He will never leave me at any cost.

That feeling of being loved all the time, irrespective of your caste, color and social status, was the biggest gift my sponsors gave me.

Today you have an opportunity to tell a child that they are loved and that their life matters. Today you have an opportunity to tell them they belong to Jesus and He will not leave them.

You have just read Satish's story, in his own words. Today, Satish works as the business development manager for a nongovernmental organization in Bangalore, helping raise funds for children to attend school. He knows the importance of education and believes a child without education is a child without hope. Satish and his wife also just welcomed their first child, a daughter, into their lives.


*This story honors Compassion’s historical work in India. While we no longer have an India sponsorship program, we are grateful for the lives changed and meaningful work achieved through our sponsors and donors in our nearly 50 years there. For a detailed explanation of the end of our sponsorship program in India, please visit compassion.com/news-releases/withdrawal-from india.