From the snowcapped Himalayans to tropical beaches, India is truly a nation of contrasts. It boasts a rich history spanning tens of thousands of years. In fact, the earliest known civilization in South Asia once called India’s fertile Indus Valley home. Today, with the world’s second-largest population, India includes a staggering variety of ethnicities, languages, religions and cultures. Its wealth of natural resources and vibrant cultures, however, belie the abject poverty in which so many of India’s citizens live.

The town of Burgampahad, in the southeastern Indian state of Telangana, is no exception to these maladies. Within this rice-producing region, which is susceptible to crop-destroying flooding and droughts, thousands of field laborers earn very low wages. Due to the resulting widespread poverty, few parents are able to send their children to school. For this reason, the Grace Aaron Boarding Home serves as a beacon of hope. Founded by the Church of South India, this boarding home provides shelter, nutrition and educational support for girls from the region’s poorest families. In this way — and with your support — the Grace Aaron Boarding Home offers these deserving young women the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and rise above the difficult socioeconomic circumstances from which they come.