Amid all the violence and terror attacks we hear about on a daily basis, a couple from Bengaluru has made us believe that there is still some good left in the world. Shivaji, a driver by profession and his BPO employee wife Prema quit their jobs to adopt and take care of children who do not have families.
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The couple first came to Bengaluru about 25 years ago, when they had just gotten married. While they were not really well-off, they made sure that their daughter received a good education. But they found their hands full when Shivaji's cousin abandoned his family, leaving his wife and three children to fend for themselves.
What started on a small note with just three children became something that has turned the fates of many others. "Even though we didn't make much, we saw that we were able to help a whole family. We decided to put more effort in taking care of others who needed it," Prema explains.
Today, Miracle Manna Children's Home houses about 23 children who are loved and cared for by Shivaji and Prema. "Children are a gift of god. It is hurtful to see that families don't think twice before abandoning children on the streets. We decided we would never refuse a child who needs love and care," Yourstory quoted Prema as saying. She also spoke about how happy and proud it makes the couple when they see the children growing up healthy and happy.
Even though money always doesn't come easy to the couple, who needs to meet numerous expenses on a daily basis, they are committed to providing the children with a warm and loving home. Most of the children attend school and the principal too has been kind enough to provide them with a discounted fee.
And the children are clearly grateful to Shivaji and Prema for what they have done. "Once I finish my studies and get a job, I will support our home in helping more children so that no child ever ends up being orphaned without a family and an education," the website quoted Marina, 18, a first-year BBA student as saying.
Talking about how they plan to go about things in the future, the couple says that they are looking forward to supporting more children if they receive the required financial help. While the funds are sufficient to manage the day-to-day expenses of the children right now, they will require more funds if the number of children goes up.
To help the couple in their noble deed, Milaap is helping them with crowdfunding and so far it has found 715 supporters. While it aims to raise Rs 4 lakh to help the children's home meet their day to day needs until now it has managed to source Rs 1,501,248.
