I know the greatest older brother in the world,he said.

We are driving to the outskirts of Bangalore, and the kids in the CWC are ours now. My involvement is mostly operational. I do not connect with children on a personal level that easily. However, I do want them to have a tiny bit of a chance at a better life in the future and I am giving my time and money.

We have collected clothes and toys, lovingly sent by many mothers we know, and the kids are happy. In this fast world, the kids I know are never that excited about anything. We have too much money, too many clothes, too few children per household compared to my childhood. When I usually gift a kid a toy, I expect it be forgotten after an hour or so of playing with it. A two year old is trying to make a swing of B’s hand and she lets her. A slightly older little girl, later I came to know she was five, is making sure the kid doesn’t fall.

They are sisters, he said. They try to keep the siblings in the same centre. Jagan is their brother, he shows me the shy eight year old holding a shirt and shorts. Orphaned, I ask. Worse, he says. The mother died, and the father began to molest the elder girl. The five year old kid?!! Yep. And the boy took both his sisters and ran away.

I do not cry easily. He really is the greatest big brother in the world.

I wish a child didn’t have to handle such hard and cruel realities at such a young age. They are relatively safer now, yet not secure. Legally the father still is the guardian, and in this country without proper social services if an aunt gets custody they will fall through the cracks. The only way we know of fixing this, other than changing the system, is make sure they stay where they are and they get an education that will allow them to live an independent life.

Every child here has a story, and hope to transform it with your help. #sponsorme
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