The Joy
A huge focus of our Happy Home mission over the last 20 years has been focused on helping poor and disabled children, teens and young adults access and succeed in education.
Access to education remains a major challenge for the disabled poor. According to government statistics, nearly 45% of people with disabilities in India are illiterate, with even higher rates in rural and low-income communities. Many children are unable to attend school due to mobility challenges, lack of transportation, or the lack of inclusive infrastructure in schools. In remote areas, the stigma surrounding disability often leads to social exclusion, and when families cannot afford private education, opportunities disappear altogether. In some cases, uneducated parents view disability as a curse, further limiting a child's chances to thrive. At Happy Home, we work to break this cycle—proving that every person, regardless of ability or background, deserves a future filled with dignity, and hope for a bright and successful tomorrow.
While every journey is unique, here are just a few stories that reflect the heart of our mission—and speak for the so many others we've loved.
*names have been changed
SAVI
Savi came to Happy Home from a poor, remote village—she arrived very shy and quiet but full of determination and resilience to overcome any obstacle. Born with a malformation in her hip joints that prevents her legs from extending, she walks in a squatting position. A simple surgery in infancy could have corrected the condition, but due to poverty and illiteracy in her family, she never received treatment.
When Savi first arrived at Happy Home, she was in 7th grade but read at a first-grade level. With steady support, personal tutoring, and her own quiet determination, she caught up academically and emotionally.
In her community, physical disability often leads to isolation and poverty, especially for girls.
Yet against all odds and with the support she received living at Happy Home, Savi became the first person in her village to graduate high school—a remarkable achievement made even more powerful by her physical challenges.
Today, she is pursuing an associate's degree, which may open the door to a government-reserved job for individuals with disabilities and eventually independence.
Savi is gentle, empathetic, and deeply caring. In all her years in Happy Home we have never once heard her complain about her disability or the challenges of her condition. She continues to live at Happy Home, where she has not only found shelter and education but also community, dignity, and hope for a better future.
PAVI
As a toddler, Pavi contracted polio and it deformed both of her feet and she had great difficulty walking and would often fall. She was a bright and eager to learn but she faced a lot of stigma and challenges in her small village. She attended school in village for a short time, but teachers claimed her disability was too much to manage alongside other students, and refused her right to education in that school.
Her life changed when she came to Happy Home in the 5th grade. For the first time, Pavi was encouragement to pursue her dreams and given the tools and adaptive skills to succeed. She thrived in the classroom and often spoke of one goal: becoming a teacher.
With perseverance and the support of Happy Home, she could do all that she desired and was destined to do. Pavi grew up in Happy Home and completed her Bachelor’s degree in education—and incredibly, she did her student teaching at the very school that had once denied her an education.
In an arranged marriage culture, physical disability is a common roadblock to getting married but Pavi’s education and career helped her marry into a good family and overcome the stigma of her disability. After enduring several heartbreaking miscarriages, Pavi is the proud mother of a young son. She helps her husband run their farm, and earns a living tutoring local children and inspiring them to believe in their own potential—just as she once dared to believe in hers.
SIYA
Siya’s early life was marked by hardship and abandonment. Her mother, an orphan herself, gave birth to Siya as an unwed mother—left alone and vulnerable after being deceived and abandoned by a man who had made promises of commitment. Struggling to survive, Siya’s mother found herself homeless with her infant daughter, exposed to danger and violence on the streets at night.
It was during this desperate time that both mother and child were rescued and brought to the safety of Happy Home. For a season, Siya’s mother was offered a job and support as she tried to rebuild her life. But by the time Siya was not yet two years old, her mother disappeared—leaving her daughter behind. Contact over the years has been minimal as she has struggled with mental health and abandonment issues. Siya, however, persevered and continued to grow up in Happy Home.
As a young child, Siya was distant, fearful, and emotionally closed off—she was cautious about letting anyone in and it was very hard to connect with her emotionally. But over the years, surrounded by patient love and consistent care, she began to open her heart. What emerged was something beautiful.
Now 15 years old, Siya is finishing her final year of high school and preparing to enter pre-university next year. Siya is affectionate, bright, motivated, and among the top of her class. She loves school! This young girl, who was extremely afraid of heights, dreams of becoming an airline stewardess—her hope to rise above her past and see the world.
With confidence, a good sense of humor, kindness, and full of potential, Siya has transformed from a frightened, abandoned child into a young woman full of hope and promise. Her life is a testament to the healing power of love, stability, and the belief that every child—no matter their past—deserves the chance to blossom.
KUSHI
We rescued Kushi when she was found alone on the streets of a small village, no one knew her name, her age, or where she had come from. She had been completely abandoned, she was dirty, malnourished and wandering the streets. Likely around five years old, she had severe Down syndrome and was unable to care for herself. Due to affects of her disability and her oral structure her ability to chew and swallow was severely affected; she was nonverbal and unable to communicate.
After nearly two decades of continual speech, cognitive, and occupational therapies and life skill training; Kushi is independent in personal care and daily tasks. She is communicative and while her speech may be hard to understand for those outside Happy Home, we’ve all learned to speak “Kushi”—a unique blend of words, signs, and expressions.
She will not be left out of any daily tasks around the home and wants to be involved in all we do; she loves to help cook and is a very productive member of our family.
Kushi is a passionate dancer. She choreographs her own routines and can be found putting on daily recitals—spinning, swaying, and performing with unmatched enthusiasm. Her creativity and joy are contagious.
She also has a deep love for “studying.” Kushi is often found hunched over a notebook, copying notes for hours—though the writing may be unintelligible, her focus and determination is the real deal. We often say that if she had the mental capacity, her passion for learning would have made her a great scholar. She simply wants to be like the other kids—learning, writing, and being part of the home-based classroom.
Recently, Kushi has started experiencing seizures, a new challenge we’re carefully managing. Despite this, her spirit remains unshaken. Now around 25 years old, Kushi continues to be one of the brightest lights at Happy Home. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and joy—and a daily reminder of the beauty that unfolds when someone is simply given a chance to belong, to express, and to be loved.
DAVID
Ningu grew up in a rural village where he always felt like an outsider—especially within his own family. After witnessing the love and compassion of his Christian friends, he chose to follow Jesus. But instead of support, he was met with hostility and rejection from his family, who didn’t understand his new faith.
As a teenager, Ningu struggled in school and was pressured to discontinue his education and begin working as a day laborer. But he longed for something more. When he heard about Happy Home, a place where he could be nurtured and given the chance to finish school, his family agreed to let him live there.
Though surrounded by care and support, Ningu wrestled with deep emotional pain, depression. One day, overwhelmed by despair, he left the campus and attempted to take his own life. When we found him, barely conscious, he was rushed to the ICU. Doctors said he would not survive, and his family were uncaring and willing to let him die.
But at Happy Home, we believed his life had purpose—and we weren’t ready to give up. We prayed continually for God to spare his life and paid for his hospitalization. After a week in ICU and another in the hospital, against all odds, he recovered. His healing was so unexpected that even the doctors acknowledged it as miraculous. He came out of the hospital weak and emaciated and unable to stand. With therapy and good nutrition, he regained his strength an had no lasting effects of the poison.
As a testament to God’s faithfulness and the strength that God gave him to overcome every obstacle, Ningu goes by the name David. Courageous and living with purpose, he is a pastor and tells all who will listen of God’s goodness and saving mercy in his life.
SACHINDRA
Sachindra, a joyful and kind-hearted boy whose life deeply touched everyone around him. Born healthy, he began experiencing muscle weakness around age 7 and was soon diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Tragically, both of his parents passed away shortly after, and his sister did not care for him.
A compassionate neighbor stepped in to help, but as Sachindra's condition worsened and he became almost completely bedridden, the neighbor could no longer manage his care. At age 11, Sachindra came to Happy Home, where he found not just shelter, but a loving family that nurtured his dreams—especially his passion for stories and music.
Despite increasing physical limitations, Sachindra remained incredibly positive. He learned to read and write through our home-based education program and dreamed of becoming a singer-songwriter. Over the years in our care, the effects of MD on his body progressed, he lost the use of his limbs and became completely dependent—but never lost his spirit. Our whole Happy Home family, staff and children cared diligently for Sachindra, including him in everything we did and adapting our activities to involve him.
In November 2019 at the age of 17, Sachindra was rushed to the hospital due to complications from his condition. As we prayed, one of us had a very real vision of him—restored, strong, and running joyfully through a sunlit field, as if he never had moment of physical weakness in his life. Moments later, we learned that vision coincided with the time he passed away.
Sachindra was wise beyond his years. He noticed the needs of others, counseled other children with wisdom, and often sent other children on errands to help someone he saw in need. He was everyone's friend, counselor, and encourager. He also developed a deep faith in Jesus and, shortly before his passing, he composed a moving song about Jesus’ love and sacrifice on the cross.
Though we grieve his absence, we find peace in knowing he is whole, joyful, and in the loving arms of Jesus in heaven. We are honored that Sachindra’s life story intersects with Happy Home’s story and that we had the privilege to care for this wonderful child of God, filling his life with joy and friendship.
SITHA
Sitha’s life began in hardship. At just 14 years old, she was forced into marriage—becoming the second wife of an ill man 40 years her senior. His first wife, though still married to him, was also in poor health and unable to bear children. With little say in her future, Sitha entered a home burdened with poverty, illness, and responsibility far beyond her years.
She had two children—a son, and then a daughter who from a young age suffered severe grand mal seizures. The cost of medication was beyond reach, and so each day was a struggle against fear and helplessness. Uneducated and illiterate, Sitha worked as a ‘rat picker’, sifting through heaps of garbage to find recyclable plastics, earning just enough to survive. The weight of caring for a sick child, an ailing sister-wife and husband slowly crushed her spirit.
Eventually, her husband passed away, and the fragile life she had been holding together began to collapse. Even though she was a born-again believer, Sitha was overcome with depression and desperation due to the weight of her poverty and heartache over her children’s future. Sitha made a plan; she decided that the only peace she and her children would find was in death. She determined in her heart to throw her two young children from the moving train and then end her life also, by doing the same. One day, while riding a crowded train with this intention, overwhelmed and in tears, Sitha encountered a Christian man who sensed her pain. Gently, the man asked her story—and listened.
Moved with compassion, the man told Sitha about Happy Home, a place where help and hope could be found. A place where burdens were shared, children were cherished, and God’s love was real and present. That day marked a turning point.
With nothing to lose and everything to hope for, Sitha came to Happy Home with her two children. What she found there was more than just shelter—it was fellowship, encouragement, and practical help.
Sitha began working at Happy Home as a cook. Over the years, she and her children became part of the fabric of the home. Through daily life and spiritual community, Sitha came to know the Lord deeply. Her heart began to heal.
Her daughter, who’s seizures had caused developmental delays and aggressive behavioral issues, received proper medical care and medication for her condition. Through our home-based education program, she learned to read and write, something Sitha had never dreamed possible for her daughter. Though her daughter continued to face medical challenges and severe seizures and multiple hospitalizations, she miraculously improved cognitively and was able to attend school. Her mind and spirit strengthened, she became independent in self-care and blossomed into a very compassionate and caring girl.
Her son completed high school and basic computer studies diploma program while living at Happy Home.
After about 10 years at Happy Home, Sitha and her children, equipped with education, skills and dreams of a bright future, left Happy Home to start their new life independent.
Sitha learned to sew and started a small tailoring business—a skill that empowered her to provide for her family. Recently, with the skills that Sithamma learned at Happy Home, she and her daughter have started a small tea-time snack shop in their neighborhood generating extra revenue for their livelihood. Because of the education he received at Happy Home, her son has secured a good paying job that supports his mother and sister and they have built a small home.
Sitha’s story is just one of many where the Lord has intervened through the compassion and obedience of His people. A woman crying on a train. A believer who listened. A place called Happy Home that embraced her. We are humbled to be part of stories like Sitha’s.
Sitha came to us burdened and without hope. Today, she stands as a testimony of the life-changing power of love—in action.