Every year as we put this "look back" together, I am consistently amazed at what we have been able to do with our friends at CEM India.
Because of your prayers and financial support, the critically important work done by CEM will continue on; and so many lives that would otherwise have little or no hope will be many times brighter.
I invite you to celebrate with all of us here at Impact India 360 what you have made possible to reach so many. It's not only material help, but a pathway toward independence and the ability to give back and make a community better.
For over thirty years, the work has gone on. The work will continue. Thank you for your faithfulness!
Jim Mayes – Executive Director, Impact India 360
For most senior citizens who grew up in poverty in India, their final years are always uncertain…
…and some are abandoned by their families.
After beginning a benevolence program to the area’s elderly in 2001, CEM founded the Agape Old Age Home in 2011.
There are currently 22 residents who have found community, safety and purpose in their final years.
But we have a vision for more.
With your support, a new and greatly expanded facility is in the final stages of construction.
With an expected move-in date in August, there is a need for furniture and equipment for the new facility…
…but there is an even greater desire to bring something more to the conversation.
CEM is putting some of its best leadership minds to bear to change the conversation on how India treats its elderly...
...and the new facility will give us the space and the credibility to do it.
Poverty and family instability can put a kid into a downward spiral of lost opportunity from the beginning of their life.
But it’s more than the basics of food and shelter that a child’s heart longs for.
They need community and friendships as well.
CEM founded the Grace Children’s Home in 1989, currently bringing new possibilities to 151 kids – giving them a level of safety and stability that their families may not have.
They and many children from the surrounding neighborhood – 220 in all – are pursuing a way out of poverty through education at the recently constructed JEMS school.
That kind of environment helps kids – all kids – dream bigger. Fifteen students are currently pursuing higher education and five graduated this year into new careers that they couldn’t have dared imagine only a few years previously.
And no matter where they go, they have a chance to find that community and make a new friend along the way.
Despite the strides made by women in India, rural poverty often pushes a young girl with dreams toward a life with few if any choices – forced marriages, drudgery and sometimes danger.
One of its oldest initiatives, CEM started a small sewing school in 1990 to help neighborhood widows learn a trade and a path toward self-sufficiency and away from prostitution or manual labor.
Last year, 16 women received vocational and Bible training.
They learn together…
…grow together…
…and graduate.
Together.
They're empowered to go back to their villages with a new sewing machine in tow, valuable skills and economic independence – and a mission for something greater in their own lives and the lives of others.
A picture of a healthy mother and child is not a guarantee in rural India, where giant strides still need to be made to protect both of them during and after the pregnancy.
CEM started its medical clinic for the poor in 2004, which included services to expectant mothers.
Last year, over 8500 patients were cared for in CEM's medical clinic and offsite camps and 346 babies were delivered in a safe and supportive environment...
…so that we can have more healthy moms taking care of happy kids.
There are still thousands of villages and millions of people across Andhra Pradesh that need not only material help, but the hope of something much larger than anything the world has to offer.
CEM planted its first church in 1987 and founded the Missionary Training School in 2001 to prepare the called and willing for a life dedicated to sharing the Good News of Jesus.
Last year, 30 students graduated and have moved on to a life of ministry...
...and your prayers and financial support have been the fuel for all of these great initiatives.
On behalf of the staff and residents at CEM, I thank you for your generosity and prayers over the past year. Because of your unceasing support, so many in Dowlaiswaram and beyond have a chance at a better life and to know the great love and hope of Jesus.
We are working tirelessly to honor your sacrifice – whether you are supporting us through NoChild or giving to our general operating fund – and are reaching more because of your kind partnership.
Jaya Sankar – Founder & President, CEM