“The biggest hurdle that our children face is lack of family.”

Lydia Pagan of Sarah’s Covenant Homes in India explained the undeniable truth, and a problem her organization is driven to do something about.

Many children with special needs often find themselves alone in India. Parents feel driven to abandon the youth at hospitals, police or train stations, crippled by fear from long-term cultural superstitions as well as difficulties due to poverty, said Jacob Baker, also of SCH.

“It’s not that parents don’t love their newborn child, but they are scared,” Jacob said. “They don’t know how to care for their children or have any resources to provide care for their child, so many think that giving their child to the government or police will help the child out.”

Sarah’s Covenant Homes is a nonprofit childcare organization that is actively responding to and preventing the abandonment of children with disabilities in India by providing holistic care in family-style homes. The organization has seven homes spread throughout two cities: Ongole and Hyderabad and cares for more than 130 children and young adults. SCH is also a Diaper Drop partner with Jake’s Diapers.

“There is no substitute that can give a child everything that a family can,” Lydia said. “Though we strive to provide the best of the best for our kids, we know that the best option for our kids is always to be in a family all their own.”

SCH brings children into its care from the government orphanages where they are placed after abandonment. The organization’s first step is to find the child’s family and work towards developing a relationship so that the child can be placed in the home again.

“We acknowledge that too many children who are orphaned in this world are disconnected from their biological family who loves them, but find themselves unable to support their needs,” Lydia said. “We pray that we can step into the role of preventing abandonment and facilitating reunification, when appropriate, by providing the necessary support a family requires to sustain themselves.”

When this doesn’t work out, SCH does connect with other agencies to aid in adoptions, both locally and internationally. All of these efforts, of course, take a variety of financial and other resources, and so SCH has found a relationship with Jake’s Diapers vital to sustaining its cause.

“Jake’s Diapers have helped our organization in such important ways,” Lydia said. “The primary benefit to having reusable diapers is that we no longer have to pay for disposable diapers, which is quite a financial relief for our organization. … We are better able to spend donations and contributions on things that provide a lasting impact on the lives of our children rather than one-use items.”

About Our Diaper Drop Partners

Sarah’s Covenant Homes is just one of our partners featured in our 12 Drops of Christmas series. Jake’s Diapers aims to shed light on the stories of the people we serve to increase awareness about the impact a donation of hygiene products can have on a single individual.

Make your impact today! A donation of $16 solves diaper need for moms and babies like the ones in our story.