2024 Child Restoration Conference
We are hosting a Child Restoration conference September 10-24 on “Loving your neighbor.. a practical journey into Southeast Asia!” We are requiring all staff to attend. We really are especially excited about Muthu Kumar attending as a gust speaker and worship leader! This will be his first conference with us.
Sadly, Muthu’s wife and daughter (Manisha and Zemira) are not able to attend at this time. Please pray that Kumar is granted his U.S. visa so that he is able to come!
Muthu Kumar and Manisha Balshankar
Muthu and Manisha are our project managers in South Asia. They oversee a variety of different projects there. We’re grateful for their feet on the ground and their leadership over many areas. Their heart is to love everyone in their area, especially the children, and to offer hope and truth. They do this through leading different programs geared towards including as many people as possible and giving a message of hope.
Project FatherHeart
Project Father Heart is a non-governmental organization.
The institution works to rescue and restore children at risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking through a family atmosphere of love and encouragement. The view to the long term is to avoid evil (poverty, abuse, hopelessness etc.) and promote comprehensive and holistic development of each child through spiritual, physical, intellectual and social care.
The areas of emphasis:
1) Serving
The children’s home aims to prevent sexual trafficking of children by rescuing and restoring them from the streets and brothel areas.
2) Training
All of the children in Project Father Heart are in private, English speaking schools because “we believe in the value of education (both formal and informal) to help transform lives and give a better hope for the future."
“We believe that a good education can give confidence and the skills necessary to stop the cycle of poverty and ignorance that occurs in these 'street' families."
3) Making Disciples
The children of Project Father Heart attend ongoing courses and camps to help each child grow spiritually in their own pursuit of God.
Foster Care
Our passion is to rescue and care for at-risk kids. This can be seen through the organizations and families listed here and our support of them. However, we also strive to support foster care and adoption both in India and the United States. Our goal is for more kids to know they are loved and to belong to a family. There are so many ways this can happen and we believe that foster care and adoption is the best route when possible, second only to keeping children in their families of origin whenever possible and safe.
One way we try to help those in or at risk of entering foster care is through our foster care closet in the Chicago area. This closet is donation based. We receive donated clothes and baby items; new packages of diapers, formula, and wipes; and gas and store gift cards. We give these to kids in foster care or the biological families of these kids as they are returning home or are needing support to be able to stay at home. Our work supports restoring children to families. Foster care and adoption are a huge part of that.
Adoption Grant
We offer an adoption grant in partnership with Lifesong for Orphans for any family in need of help funding their adoption. We do not believe lack of finances should stop a family from being able to love a child. Please apply here if you are in need of some help financing your adoption.
San and Dee
San and his brothers started Project Father Heart by helping children at risk at the railway station. San is a member of the Board of Trustees of the children's home trust, where he has acted as Secretary for the past 10 years as well as helping in administration, finances and upholding the legalities of the trust.
San has a heart to see at-risk children restored and rehabilitated into the mainstream of society. He works in raising advocacy and awareness as well as networking with other NGO organizations toward this goal.
Sand is also active in working in the slums. He has been overseeing and directing this work for the past few years.
Happy
Happy has been rescuing children at risk in Southern Asia for over 15 years. Happy is one of the Directors of Project Father Heart.
How it all began:
“Many years ago, we saw many children and youth living on the streets suffering from poor health, malnutrition, physical violence, psychological trauma, and the hostility of the public. Some were living at a hut made of plastic or cardboard and sleeping on the pavements of the streets. Some were living in brothels (being drugged or neglected while the Mother worked). Some were engaged in child labor during the day. But, many of the children were living 100 percent of their time on the streets, begging, stealing, and involved in prostitution (as young as 11 years old). That is why we started Project Father Heart to be a safe home for these children; for them to be part of a family and to receive love and education to help restore their lives. We long to be a place where the children can be nurtured, achieve their dreams, and hope for their future!”
Zion Children's Home
Zion Children’s Home began in 2001. The Director, J (along with his wife, D) leads this growing work for the tribal areas.
160 tribal children (and counting) have been rescued as of January 2018. These children were orphaned or abandoned by parents who could not care for them. “The custom in these areas is that if the Father dies, the Mother abandons the children and finds another man to help her start a new family. So the children are left with no one to care for them,” J says. “Abandoned, orphaned, or extremely poor children under threat of being sold into slavery, are loved and raised up to fulfill their dreams and destiny.”
The children are housed and schooled in the Zion Center along with J and D, their staff, the “School of Servant” students, and the various other programs going on there as well. It is a very “full house!”
Current Projects:
We are helping with expanding the home and school for the tribal children on the Zion property. Please contact us if you want more information.
Other Works we Partner With
House of Peace - Southern Asia
Directors S and C rescue, restore, and rebuild family for at-risk children from the streets and brothels.
Light of Life Preschool - Southern Asia
A daycare ministry run by Dr. R who along with her staff care for, feed, and give spiritual and emotional support to the children of the brothel area.