Tangutur

Church Orphan Home

The Tangutur Church Orphan Home is located on the east side of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Uncertainty marks the face and future of a child orphaned by HIV. With cautious footsteps, they navigate through curtains of complexity and discrimination. The Andhra Pradesh region boasts some of the highest HIV prevalence rates in all India, and the villages in this region have been jolted by the virus. The boys in the Tangutur Church Orphan Home know the feeling of this jolt all too plainly.

In India, when parents die from HIV-related causes, orphans are often robbed of their childhoods. Family members will often not take in a child whose parents have been known to have been HIV-positive, for fear of catching the virus. Left to fend for themselves, these children shoulder the responsibilities of adulthood. In many cases, the oldest child takes on the role of “parent” for younger siblings. They’ll often drop out of school to care for their brothers and sisters, forfeiting their own education for the sake of their siblings’ futures.

In the Tangutur home, each orphan is given the opportunity to reclaim their childhood. No longer do they need to scrounge for food and temporary shelter. They have food security, shelter, and education. Here, the children are given an escape from the responsibilities that have been thrust upon their young shoulders. They are allowed to be kids again. They play, they learn, and, for what is often the first time in a long time, they laugh. 

Life has not been easy for these children. When you help sustain the Tangutur Church Orphan Home, you are stepping alongside these children to reclaim their childhoods, giving them hope for a brighter future.