By Machelle Norling | Director
Like most girls in India, marriage has been a long-desired dream for Christu. On December 30, 2022 she married a lovely young man named Gattigundla Sunil – G. Sunil for short.
When Christu came to us, she was a small, scared girl who was unsure about where she had landed, who would be caring for her and what to expect. Her parents had died and she was living in a children’s home in the southern city of Guntur. When the home discovered she was HIV-positve, they called us and asked if we had room for her as they were unable to provide for her due to her HIV status.
The answer was a resounding yes, and Christu became a part of our growing family. A shy girl, it took some time to adjust to her new surroundings and new siblings, but as time passed, she became a sister creating deep bonds as she grew up.
It was an extraordinary show of love and excitement as her sisters helped her prepare for the ceremony, decorating the room where the ceremony would take place, blowing up all of the balloons, fixing her hair and helping her into her new sari – a symbol of a soon to be wedded woman. The men of the house took great care to make sure everything was ready, the food prepared and Christus new family felt welcome.
It is with tremendous love, elation and pride that we introduce Sunil and Christu to the world. A young couple who has overcome the challenges life can bring who decided to share a future together.
Sunils life has been shaped by his HIV status much like Christu. His father passed away, his mother is HIV-positive and Sunil has been treating the disease all his life. Sunil and his family filed into the home entering a gloriously decorated room to share in the traditional engagement ceremony where gifts are exchanged between families and between the intended bride and groom.
It was an evening filled with joy, laughter, love and blessings as we all celebrated the young couple together as a family and community.
We are so grateful for every single person who has given to Hope Now and continues to support us as we continue to support our kids. This moment is filled with a sense of accomplishment, dreams realized and a confirmation that what we are doing every single day is paving the way for each of our kids to choose a life filled with possibility.
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By Machelle Norling | Director
By Machelle Norling | Director
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