Will you make an orphaned child’s Christmas wish come true?

Dharma was an eight-year-old orphan living in the village of Attipattu near Chennai, India.

Surviving childhood and growing up in the impoverished slums of India is difficult and dangerous. Dharma lost his father shortly after he was born. As a widow, his mother worked as a coolie to support the two of them.

But tragedy struck this poor child again! His mother was killed in a fire caused by a typhoon. Dharma was all alone in the world at a young age.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for this newly orphaned child to try to make sense of his world? He was alone, slept out on the streets, and was always hungry.

Most days, he roamed the city looking for anything to eat. By chance, he came upon Nesakkaram Home, an orphanage established by Franciscan missionaries. One of the friars invited him to join the other children for lunch.

Dharma was amazed to see the happy, orphaned children! They had a concrete roof over their heads and enough food to eat. They attended the Franciscan school and even had time to play!

After lunch, he spent some time talking with Father Charles Bernard, OFM, the director of Nesakkaram Home, and Fr. Charles invited him to stay. Dharma slept soundly that night, for the first time ever, with a full stomach and in a bed of his own!

Your generosity and goodness are the loving hands of God, and those of his Son, reaching out to these children. Your love plants the seeds of faith and hope in their young hearts. Certainly, our loving Lord rejoices over you with gladness!

So, with Christmas coming, I’m writing to ask you to please continue your faithful support of Nesakkaram Home and all our Franciscan orphanages around the world.

Franciscan missionaries serve poor, orphaned and abandoned children in India, Central and South America, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, the Philippines, and in many other developing countries. Currently, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, missionary friars are building a new home for orphaned children.

Our friars serve in areas of extreme poverty. Often, the local government has few resources to help care for orphaned children. The friars do what they can, but they too have few resources.

Today, I ask you to offer another measure of hope to make an orphaned child’s wish come true! Dharma is now 17 years old, and his Christmas wish is to be able to finish school and receive technical training to repair air-conditioning units. The Franciscan missionaries will provide him with this training after he finishes the 12th standard in their traditional school.

Will you please send a faith-filled gift to help Franciscan friars care for Dharma and other orphaned children?

Your care is urgently needed to help feed, educate, and provide medical treatment to poor and abandoned children. The friars do everything they can for the children, but they have little money to do so.

It only costs Fr. Charles $480 to care for an orphan for a full year! That includes educational expenses, medical expense, housing and food! Every $40 you share will pay for an orphaned child’s care for an entire month! A $120 gift would cover the expenses of an orphan for three months!

Your generosity is truly the hand of God in these young lives. Your gift today can bring hope to orphaned children in the form of a hot meal, a day at school or a trip to a medical clinic. They and our friars will be forever grateful to you.

Your love and generosity help make the wishes of suffering children around the world come true. You make the true joy and hope of Christmas a reality in their lives.

I hope you can help me by sending a special Christmas donation today. Know that my prayers are with you and your loved ones today, always, and most especially, during this holy Christmas season.

Merry and blessed Christmas,

Bro. Andrew Brophy, OFM Executive Director

P.S. Will you be God’s hands, heart and voice to orphaned children this Christmas? Please give generously!