Our India Program Coordinator, Usha Parthasarathy, spent the past few weeks traveling to visit several of our program partners throughout India. Usha administers Save One Life programs to more than 660 beneficiaries in over 30 chapters spanning the vast country. She met with current beneficiaries to hear how the programs of Save One Life are impacting their lives. Usha shared some inspiring success stories. She also visited with potential applicants for sponsorship, scholarship or micro-enterprise grants (MEG). 

Usha with three Sponsorship beneficiaries and their moms.

     During her travels, Usha visited many chapters we work with in India, one being Kunnamkulan. She spent two days visiting a total of six families. She referred many of them to our micro-enterprise grants where they can receive direct financial assistance to open their own small business. Here is a quote from the chapter’s secretary:

“We are grateful to Mrs. Usha Parthasarathy for her visit to the chapter and for supporting the families of Hemophilia patients Kunnamkulam Chapter.”

- E. Raghunandanan, General Secretary

Usha meets Ajitha, a mother of a boy with hemophilia, to discuss applying for a micro-enterprise grant to improve her sewing business. 

    Usha met with one of the families in Kunnamkulam: Jishnu and his parents. Jishnu, 22, is one of our sponsorship beneficiaries, and has been since he was 12 years old. The sponsorship funds have greatly improved his quality of life over the past 10 years. Now, he uses the funds primarily for education. He is studying Computer Hardware (ICSE) with a goal to be an IT Computer Mechanic. Due to his success, Usha concluded that Jishnu would be ready to graduate from the Save One Life Sponsorship Program in 2024. She informed Jishnu about our scholarship program, which would give him financial support for his education. Our sponsorship program is designed to give youths with hemophilia funds to improve their lives, whether it goes to treatment, education, or basic needs. From there, they can graduate into a scholarship or micro-enterprise grant, with the goal of them eventually having the tools to support themselves and thrive as a person with hemophilia. 

Usha meets Jishnu’s family in Kunnamkulam.

     Despite these improvements, Jishnu still struggles with receiving treatment, due to the location of his home. He shared with Usha that it is very difficult to reach Taluk hospital for infusion, especially during monsoon season. This is the unfortunate reality for many of our beneficiaries. At times, they live hours away by foot to the nearest available treatment. We strive to improve this through our programs by giving them resources to gain access to better transportation. To see how challenging the route is to Jishnu’s house, click below:

     Although Usha did witness the hardships of people with hemophilia in India, she also experienced their joy. During her visit to the Pondicherry chapter, Usha got the exciting opportunity to attend the wedding of Kala and Vaithiyanathan. They are two members of the Pondicherry Hemophilia society. Vaithiyanathan received a micro-enterprise grant in 2019 to help improve his book store. Four years later, his business is still doing well. Their wedding was conducted at a temple, with the reception taking place at a hall of their hemophilia society. All the chapters and members of the society were invited to the couple’s wedding. Usha had the honor of blessing the happy couple. 

 Usha with the bride and groom. 

     We deeply appreciate Usha for spreading our mission throughout India, and keeping us updated on her travels. Her individual impact has helped so many of our beneficiaries. Stay updated with our social media for a more detailed look into her travels and the families she visited!