Update from Our Friends at Operation Shanti

About two years ago, we organized a fundraising campaign for Operation Shanti, an organization that is dedicated to empowering the poorest and neediest children and elderly in Mysore, India.

Our goal was to raise $11,700 to fund three specific projects:

1. To purchase and install solar panels to heat water for their Karunya Mane facility, which today, serves as a full-time home for 43 children who used to live on the street.

2. To purchase mattresses for the children and elderly and their families at Karunya Mane.

3. To purchase a small van to take children to and from school, buy provisions in bulk, and take care of other everyday tasks for Operation Shanti's shelter and street programs.

I was blown away by our readership, which raised over $13,000 in just three days.

And since that time, though I don't have exact numbers, my guess is that our readership has contributed many thousands more to support the children and families that are transforming their lives with the support of Operation Shanti's shelter and programs.

The first two projects that we raised funds for - the solar panels and mattresses - were purchased almost right away. Finding the right van and a qualified driver took a little longer, though the wait was worthwhile, as Operation Shanti recently acquired a solid van that meets all of their needs - here are some pictures:

As with many similar vehicles in India, this van runs on liquid propane gas, which is cleaner and a lot less expensive than gasoline.

Here's an update from Tracy Kunichika, founder and director of Operation Shanti:

Yes, the van really helps -- even today, we were able to use it for an errand that otherwise would have taken two trips!

Our 43 kids at Karunya Mane are doing well -- their behavior continues to improve, and there's still a long way to go... just in terms of self-discipline and learning to be responsible for their own actions -- not easy, since their parents, if they knew their parents, of course do not or did not have these traits.

The kids show good potential, and they are all studying very well in school. One of our kids, Harish, even earned a top ranking in the entire state on a general knowledge state-wide examination last November. And to think he used to sleep literally on the sidewalk with his mom and little brother.

We're trying to secure some land nearby from the government, which means it would be very cheap (like almost free). If we get it, and I think we have a good chance because the head of the city, the only person who can allocate the land to us, likes us and our work and I've spoken personally to him about the land so we are keeping our fingers crossed. If we do get this land, then there will be a massive effort to raise funds to build a new and improved Karunya Mane that we think could house, feed, and educate 200 destitute kids.

Finding the poorest kids is not difficult at all, unfortunately, it's the rest of the work that can still be challenging.

Anyway, that's sort of the update, not much really new, but continuing to make good progress with the kids and our ongoing programs.