We met Latta when she was four years old. She was living on the street with her mom, dad, and two-month old sister, Jyothi. For a little girl, Latta worked pretty hard. She fetched bottles of water for her mom and helped take care of her baby sister. Latta is quite smart and picks things up quickly, and is quite the comedienne.

Latta's father once became very ill with typhoid that had spread to his brain. We admitted him to the hospital and helped pay for his treatment. He is now healthy, and works hard every day.

Getting Latta to attend school regularly was nearly impossible when she lived on the street. We put her into first grade at the local school, but after a couple of months, she stopped going. Maintaining basic personal hygiene was also difficult for Latta and mom. Latta often had rashes on her body and once had a bad onset of anemia. With counseling, mom learned how to properly feed and clean her daughter, and Latta's health improved dramatically.

Convincing mom to take Latta to the doctor used to be difficult; without proper knowledge, mom feared modern medicines. But after a few months of advising mom on how to care for Latta and baby, and by providing medicines for colds and fevers, Latta's mom is now proactive with the care of her kids.

In 2007, we helped mom and dad rent a house, and placed Latta and eight other street kids into boarding school. In 2008, when we opened our facility, Karunya Mane, Latta came to stay with us there. At KM, Latta goes to school every day. Mom and dad sometimes visit Latta at Karunya Mane, and plan to send Jyothi next year.

Chumi was born on the streets of Mysore. Her mom sells flowers for a living and nets about 50 rupees a day, just over a dollar. Mom works hard to feed and clothe her kids, in the morning stringing flowers or cleaning vegetables for local restaurants, then going to her spot to sell flowers till 10 pm, rain or shine. Chumi's grannie also works, begging or cleaning restaurant and shop floors.

Chumi was well fed. Sometimes, she was the only one among her siblings who got breakfast. Being quite adorable and cherub-like, Chumi's cuteness attracted many rupees from begging.

Mom desperately wanted her children off the street and in a shelter. She often says the "street is not good for children." In 2006, we helped mom give her kids a better life by enrolling Chumi and her brother into boarding school, where they stayed for two years.

In 2008, Chumi came to stay at Karunya Mane, along with her brother Venkatesh and sister Prema. Chumi attends school every day and continues to grow into a beautiful little girl.

We met Pallavi when she was four years old, and she had been living on the streets of Mysore since birth. Pallavi saw many bad things on the street. Kids her age should never see such things. Her mom and dad work on the street cleaning vegetables for a living or stringing up flowers to sell. Her little brother Vishnu was also living with them on the street.

Once a week, mom used to bathe Pallavi and Vishnu on the roadside. Hot water from the public facility costs 10 rupees a bucket. Her mom earns less than 50 rupees a day cleaning vegetables or begging.

Mom is illiterate but she wanted Pallavi to go to school and get off the street. She, like Chumi's mom, knows that the street life isn't good for kids.

For our support to be productive, the desire to improve must be within each person. Mom has come a long way in taking care of her kids, working more frequently making flowers and selling vegetables instead of begging. In 2007, mom let us send Pallavi to boarding school with Chumi and Latta, and six street boys. And in 2008, Pallavi and her little brother Vishu came to stay with us at Karunya Mane, where both attend school every day.