Asma

Asma lives in the city of Bangalore, in south India. She was born in September 1981, and lives with her mother, father, and 6 brothers and sisters in a very small but sturdy and clean home. Asma's family is Muslim.

I first sponsored Asma in 1985 with my church handbell choir. There were 12 of us, and we would each pay $20 per year. She turned 4 shortly after we began sponsoring her. Unfortunately, we were only able to sponsor her for one year. I began sponsoring Asma for a second time in the Spring of 1992. I was thrilled to be able to sponsor her again.

In February 1996, after nearly two years of planning and saving money, I travelled to India to see Asma. It was a wonderful experience. She was very shy, but as time went on, she became more and more comfortable with me. It was very difficult to leave her.

In November 1998, after another two years of planning and saving money, I returned to India. During my visit in Bangalore, I learned that Asma's family situation has improved due to the fact that her 2 older brothers are working in jobs for which they were trained by CCF. Asma told me, "Aunty, you sponsor another child." Asma and I continue to correspond occasionally.

Asma has completed X Standard, which is sort of like finishing high school. She has no interest in continuing on to college, but has taken Arabic classes. I'm expecting that it won't be long before she gets married.