So I made it to India!! I am safe and all settled into my 3ft radius space on the floor in a room shared with 6 other girls. I promise to write again this week on a full update of my whole situation but I needed to write this blog first, and I needed to write it with urgency. My heart is heavy today. You see I just got notified that Iceland is “eradicating Down syndrome” (link below). Close to 100% of women in Iceland are now aborting their child once they find out it has an extra chromosome. This is not eradicating Down syndrome… this is eradicating children who were born exactly the way they were supposed to be born. Nothing is wrong with them.
My heart breaks and my emotions run high because for so many years I have been working with special needs kids & have especially fallen in love with the Down Syndrome community. The organization I interned for Global Down Syndrome Foundation, was created to help parents and families be informed on what Down Syndrome is and how amazing their child’s life can be. The average lifespan of someone with down syndrome is now 60 years old & the number of schools that include kids with down syndrome is rising along with the advancements in science, & the most amazing inclusive community that thrives all around the world.
But this is not the only reason I am triggered by this news…. this month in India I am working at SCH (https://www.schindia.com). SCH are homes that take in special needs kids from the Indian government. There are 4 homes here in Hyderabad & each home has around 16 kids. When this organization first started they did not think they would be able to get any special needs kids from the government because they were Christian, but when they asked to take in one kid, the government explained that no one had ever asked for a special needs kid before and gave them 40. They are now at max capacity with 150 kids & taking incredible care of them.
There are 20 million orphans in India (4% of the population) & a large percentage are special needs. They are the least likely to be adopted so the proper care for them is scarce. Working here has been such a blessing. To see kids from ages ranging from 10 months to 18 with Cerebral Palsy to Down syndrome to heart defects. Each kid has an “aya” who is a local Indian woman that cares for them. Each home has a foster mom or dad who lives at the homes with these kids too. As volunteers we help by leading games, painting, cleaning, and doing bible studies with the kids in the afternoon. I already came into this experience with a big heart for special needs kids but I continue to go to the Lord to ask him about the hearts and souls of these kids that live within unique bodies and ailments. This is what the Lord keeps pointing me back to:
John 9:1-3
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
In the Indian culture it is seen as bad karma to have a child with special needs. You must have done something bad in your past life to have a kid who is not “normal” which is why so many parents abandon their kids. But God says that it is not karma, it is not a sin, He truly designed his children to be born unique with so many different and beautiful qualities.
I envy so many traits about these kids.. their open hearts and minds to all people. They do not see with judgment, they do not care about what you look like, your success, what you wear… they just want to experience connection and love. They will laugh and smile with you, they will dance & ask questions. They will play and want to be apart of your life. Isn’t this what we all strive to be like? How are they “disabled” when they have the hearts that are beyond capable of loving the world and each other more than anyone else I know?
My love for these kids continues to grow the more I learn and spend time with them. I can’t wait to share more stories about the kids at SCH in this coming month. Dancing and singing with them everyday feels like heaven on earth. There is room for everyone in Gods kingdom and I pray for all the moms and families who face the difficult decision to keep their baby or let them go. I pray that they might be able to see the incredible impact these kids make in our world and that nothing is wrong with them. I especially pray for the Indian families who so desperately want to keep their child but let go because they feel guilt or shame for their “bad karma”. I pray for the families who can’t afford to keep their child. I pray for the parents who might have disabilities of their own that make it impossible to care for their kids. I also pray for anyone reading this that might feel inclined to help or advocate for these kids around the world or even here at SCH, every voice counts & there is urgency as countries are becoming more inclined to “eradicate” such beautiful humans.
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/)
