We first met Sanathan and his mother along the roadside one month after the tsunami. His mother was carrying him because he is
severely retarded and unable to walk. He
is one of five children, all of whom survived, although their house was
destroyed.
He was saved by his younger
brother, who carried him to safety.
Their father was only occasionally in the home, and was often
drunk. As we talked, it was clear the
family was in distress. In the coming
months we: brought a wheelchair for Sanathan, set-up a monthly grocery delivery
for the family, brought-in another family to act as mentors, assisted his mother through the court process to ensure that her husband could not return and
threaten the family. We took Sanathan to
his first dental check-up and arranged for physical therapy, and much, much
more. In addition, we assisted in the
construction of their new home. Through
all of this, Sanathan prospered. He has
begun to say a few words, and always has a smile on his face when we come for a
visit.