Sponsors Visit of India

Dear Friends,November 2015.

What a great gift that Tom and Geetha have given to me. I was fortunate to visit India and FCN projects with 9 other sponsors. The trip has been most memorable and I am very grateful for all that they have done for all of us.

My personal participation in FCN is one way I can concretely respond to the challenges of poverty in the third world. It has been a most moving experience for me to have met the young man I have been sponsoring for 12 years. He came to see me with his widowed mother and it was most heartening for me to realize that I have helped him through the FCN family to receive an education he would never have been able to do on his own. Tom and Geetha are two very hard working people who have done so much with so little for so many in India. They have done remarkable work. I am so glad that they came to me 13 years ago looking for some help and support from St. James. They have given us a wonderful opportunity. We are all blessed to be part of FCN family.

Since the Inception of FCN 13 years ago, the Co-founders Tom Chitta and his wife Dr. Geetha Yeruva have done a remarkable job in the growth of the Foundation while implementing the internal controls to assure its total accountability against the Foundation’s objectives. The FCN Schools we had an opportunity to visit were well managed by the administrative staff. There was total accountability by the Foundation in documenting its revenue and expenses. An outside accounting firm reviews their books and records.

Central to the goals of the Foundation is the dedication of Tom and Geetha in helping to better the life of the poor, disabled and orphaned children in India. We met our 12 sponsored children during our visit. The children exhibited humility, happiness and thankfulness that through our support they will be able to achieve a better life not only for themselves but for their families. If you are looking for a charity that uses more than 90% of its fund for its charitable objectives and changes the life of a child, we highly recommend that you join this sponsorship program.

Going to India and meeting with the children that my husband and I sponsor was an experience beyond words. I felt an immediate bonding not only with them but with all the wonderful Indian children who are being sponsored by FCN. Tom and Geetha are doing amazing things for the children. I encourage anyone who can to sponsor a child so that he/she can benefit from FCN.

I have been supporting FCN from the inception. Since two years I am helping as a Mission Appeal Coordinator. I am so glad I was able to spend three weeks and help at FCN School in a rural village. The care and hospitality provided to me on this trip has been spectacular! The children are precious and the staff went beyond measure to accommodate my needs. I made new friends helping with English and computers and introducing new games of beanbag toss. It was a wonderful experience to join the sponsors from the US and see the many projects of FCN. It is amazing to see what FCN is able to do with the resources provided by donors and sponsors. It was a fantastic experience to meet Rama Krishna whom I am sponsoring with his friends at the school for the hearing impaired in Kadapa. This has been one of the best experiences of my life.

Travelling to India with FCN was a life-changing experience for both of us. We were able to meet Ravi, a boy whom we have sponsored for over ten years. It was amazing to see how $240 a year could change the path of a child. We were so impressed with the fiscally responsible use of our donation that we opted to sponsor 4 more children and were able to meet them. Tom and Geetha have put their heart and soul into every detail to assure that the monies donated helps to directly benefit the children. It is a blessing to be able to take part in the FCN mission and vision!

I have been a sponsor for 9 years. It has been a very gratifying experience to see a child grow physically and advance in education through receiving letters and pictures twice a year from my sponsored child. For a relatively small donation FCN does so much to help the children increase their opportunity for a better l ife through education. After visiting the FCN operation in India, I know my donation goes right to meeting the needs of the children. I will continue to support this very well run organization and am grateful for the opportunity to help.

We and eight others from the US went India as supporters of FCN. This India trip allowed us to achieve three objectives. We primarily went to visit and meet our sponsored child that we have been financially helping with his education for over twelve years. We met and talked with our sponsored child for several hours. Since we had been writing letters and sending pictures to each other for many years, we immediately had a close connection and felt we had known each other for a long time. We talked about how great it was to finally see each other in person, what the child's ambitions were, and his plans for accomplishing them. This meeting has been one of the most memorable moments in our lives.

Secondarily, we also visited various schools, orphanages, home for the aged, and tailoring training centres supported by FCN. Dr Geetha and Tom described the sponsorship program and showed documentation on how it is accomplished. We were able to see firsthand the tremendous work that FCN is doing and the great impact that they're having with so little funds. The students were so joyful, very happy to see all the sponsors, and extremely grateful to FCN. The students were always ready with a dance, song, or some sort of performance when they first saw the sponsors.

Thirdly, we got to visit an incredible country. We travelled through several major cities and some smaller towns via cars, buses, trains, and airplane. We were able to visit major sites of attractions everywhere we travelled. We saw cathedrals, temples, and mosques in various cities including one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal.

We encourage you to help FCN through the well organized sponsorship program.

I had the opportunity to visit my sponsored child in India. It was great to meet the young man I am sponsoring as well as his family. I also had the chance to visit the various FCN projects and saw so many happy and hopeful faces! FCN, Tom and Dr. Geetha are making a positive impact on the children by providing them with an education. I am so impressed with the work that is done by FCN. I am proud to be a sponsor and encourage others to sponsor the needy children. Together we can make a difference!