India: A library for children in Uppada

Six young people are currently working in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Argentina and India through "Hoffnung International", EBM INTERNATIONAL's volunteer service. The value of the experience abroad, the contact with a different culture and the enrichment of one's own life of faith is great. One of the volunteers is Joshua. He reports on his time so far in a children's home in India.

For one year living and working in India

I am Josua, 19 years old, born in France and moved to Pinneberg in Schleswig-Holstein in 2015. I graduated from high school there and now I've been sent out by EBMI to volunteer in Uppada, a small fishing village in the state of Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India.

I have a wide range of tasks. For example, I supervise the girls' study hour at the children's home every day. Some things are, as is typical here, more flexible and spontaneous: I help out at school, especially with English, I cook from time to time and do small jobs. And then, of course, we play, dance, laugh and play again. The children love volleyball and of course cricket. We also play lots of other games such as tag, hide and seek or kabaddi (an Indian team sport).

A new library on the campus

Recently, I was able to start a special project: We wanted to open a small library on the campus of the children's home. I personally love books (because I had the chance to read a lot from an early age). The children I work and live with come from poor backgrounds and don't know how to read in their free time.

Despite the difficult circumstances from which the girls and boys come, they are incredibly inquisitive and, above all, courageous. Many of the children have experienced violence and alcoholism in their families. Nevertheless, they look to the future. That is incredibly impressive and very encouraging for me personally. When I look at the little things I've been annoyed about in the past and the small events that have discouraged me, it's ridiculous in comparison.

Not be discouraged despite the circumstances

I also pray about this: that God will give me a little of this spirit of carrying on. Because it is precisely with this attitude, with God's help, that the children here move forward every day. Despite these wonderful experiences, not everything is perfect here. Recently, for example, two boys ran away from the children's home and we don't know whether they will come back.

I invite you to pray! The children are incredibly courageous, yet many of them have emotional wounds and some of them are broken. Please pray for the children in Uppada and in India, that God will give them strength, courage and love.

from Josua Ertz

More information about our volunteer program

Anyone interested in volunteering with EBM INTERNATIONAL can contact the coordinator Kathy Behrens at kbehrens@ebm-international.org or by telephone on +49 33234 74-435

This blog post was published in our MAGAZINE 1/2024.