Jancy's Family Needs Safe Shelter

During the first week after my family and I moved to India, my son, Chase, met Tharun at church. Despite a language barrier, they hit it off right away and quickly became best friends. As we got to know Tharun's sisters and his mother, Jancy Clara, we came to love them, too.

It hasn't been easy

You wouldn't know it by the contagious smile that Jancy always wears but she has had more than her share of challenges. Shirking his responsibilities, Jancy’s husband left her to raise their children alone and without support almost 14 years ago. She has been a single mom ever since and works hard to provide for her three children and her mother, who now lives with them, too. Jancy is a teacher, and during the pandemic she lost her job. She persevered, taking on multiple odd jobs to provide for her family. Fortunately, she recently got a stable job and earns enough to cover her living expenses.

Here is where it gets bad

Her small, humble home, made of mud walls, is in Ramamurthynagar, Bengaluru. Heavy rains in 2021, especially in November, caused a wall to collapse and seriously damaged the roof.

It gets worse

To rebuild a proper brick and concrete house that can withstand the weather will cost $12,000 but it might as well be $12 million. Jancy simply can not afford it, so they have been living in the ruins! Not only is this dangerous, but the house floods when it rains!

Jancy tries to keep a smile on her face, but the situation is trying. The days have turned into weeks, and the weeks have turned into months. The mounting frustration and stress are overwhelming, and she is losing hope.

Can you imagine living like this -- through the winter and then through the summer and the rainy season with all the mosquitos? My family no longer lives in India and it breaks my heart to know that our friends are living in these conditions. I wish I could hug them, make them a hot meal, and give them a dry place to escape to when it rains.

Having lived in both the U.S. and India has given me a unique perspective. I had the fortune of being born in the United States. I have a comfortable home and live a life of relative ease. I’m not wealthy but I have a roof over my head, and I never have to go to bed worrying about my house collapsing on my children in their sleep. I don’t know why I was born into my circumstances but it makes me think of the song, “Because I Have Been Given Much,” - especially the line: Because I have been sheltered, fed by Thy good care; I cannot see another’s lack and I not share.

If you feel the same and have the means to help, will you contribute money to rebuild their home? If there are enough compassionate people to join us, we can raise the money needed to get Jancy's family out of emergency mode and back to normal life!