A third-grade girl in a small South Asian village, a mother struggling to make ends meet, a father who had walked away. That is where Divya's* story began. Today she is a wife, a mother of two, a working woman, a faithful churchgoer and the daughter whose life helped bring her family back together.

How did she get from there to here? Through years of steady love, education and spiritual care, made possible by people like you.

A difficult beginning

Divya was in third grade in 2009 when she came to Restoring Hope. She grew up in a village in South Asia, in a non-Christian family that was breaking apart. Her parents fought bitterly, and eventually her father left. Her mother was left to raise Divya and her brother on very little money.

In rural South Asia, this means more than heartbreak, because a family without its primary income earner usually has no social services to fall back on. A girl's schooling is often the first thing a struggling family loses, and without help, Divya's education would very likely have ended early.

But then, an aunt who had recently come to believe in Jesus brought Divya to a nearby pastor who was helping other children in need. At that time, Restoring Hope cared for orphaned and vulnerable children in residential homes. Today we do something better: We keep families together in their own homes and invest in the children there. Divya's story is part of how we learned that.

Pictured: Divya (far right) joined began receiving care through Restoring Hope years ago when we ran children's residential homes. Today we provide care within their home settings, and Divya's story helped us see why family-based care is the ideal model of care for orphaned and vulnerable children.

Thirteen years of care

Divya spent about 13 years with Restoring Hope, all the way through college. She remained in school, had her daily needs met and found healing through the love of Jesus on display in Restoring Hope’s staff. She learned to pray and read Scripture, and her faith became her own. She was trusted with responsibility too, including teaching Sunday School. This once-shy girl from a broken home slowly became a confident young leader.

Back to family

When the COVID-19 pandemic came, Restoring Hope was forced to reunite all the children in our care with their families, and Divya went home too. It was not easy, because many of these children’s families still faced real difficulties, and we knew we couldn’t turn a blind eye. 

That’s when we realized we could still care for the children while they remained at home, by activating our network of indigenous social workers and pastor couples to regularly check in on each child and family. In time, we saw that family-based care is actually much better because it keeps families together as God always intended. And we have followed that path ever since.

Pictured: Restoring Hope supported Divya over 13 years. Today she's a college graduate, wife, and mother—a testament to the transformation that can happen through steady, long-term care.

A dream she did not give up

In Divya’s first year of college, a marriage proposal came through relatives. Her family learned the groom was a good man who would support her studies, and then something unexpected happened: Her relatives persuaded her father to return for the wedding. After many years apart, he came home, and the family began living together again! Divya got married in 2021 with her father by her side. A girl who arrived because her family had fallen apart helped restore it.

For many young women, marriage ends their education. It did not end Divya's. Her social worker and family’s encouragement, and her own determination, carried her through. She completed her college degree in 2022.

Her faith held too. Her husband does not follow Jesus, yet she attends church regularly and keeps praying that he and both their families will one day know Him like she does.

Divya now works near her home. She and her husband are raising two wonderful children. She regularly stays in touch with the social worker who walked with her, and even invites her to family celebrations. She is grateful for the love, education and guidance that prepared her to build a stable family of her own.

Pictured: Today, Divya (now a mother of two) continues a close relationship with the Restoring Hope social worker who helped her over 13 years. Here they are pictured studying God's Word together.

You made the difference

Divya's care was possible because of Restoring Hope’s donors—people who believe family is the best place for children to grow up and who meet that belief with prayer and giving. The result is a young woman who experienced the long-term stability and love that led to healing, wholeness, a family reunited, a college degree and a family of her own.

If you would like to help another child experience this kind of transformation, consider a donation today.

*Pseudonyms are used to protect the identities of people and areas Restoring Hope serves.