Rosie Gundra—Orphanage Owner and Humanitarian

At first glance, everyone seems ordinary. It is the things they do for the world and the challenges they overcame to meet this moment that makes them extraordinary. Welcome to Rising Echo, a blog merely introducing you to people around the world who have done extraordinary things. 

Rosie Gundra—orphanage owner and superwoman—has selflessly devoted her life to providing children and the under-privileged with shelter, education, and a safeguarded future. She puts herself in a daily battle to give children and beggars in India a better life than the streets they have been bound to. Starting SANKALP foundation and Christ Children Ministries in Andra Pradesh, India, fifteen years ago, Rosie has come a long way in her fight to defeat child labor and challenge the progression of “hopeless” children continuing to live miserable lives. 

After Rosie finished 10th grade, she was pushed to become a nun by her Catholic father. Because Rosie lived in an interfaith household, her mother had trouble accepting her father’s plea to devote her life to Christianity. Rosie’s mother finally allowed Rosie to become a nun, but on the same day, her grandmother suffered a sudden death. As Rosie traveled towards Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh to pay her respects to her grandmother, she suddenly came to a turning point in her life. Rosie looked around to witness children dressed in scraps begging and suffering everywhere. Her mind made an instant connection with the children she viewed around her. She understood that no matter the reason for human suffering, the pain we all feel is the same. The scene stuck in her mind, and she knew she had a new mission and direction in her life. Rosie’s fight to slow child labor had just begun. 

The following day, Rosie was sweeping the area around her house as she saw 6 children begging on the street. Rosie’s neighbor called them and asked them to throw away her garbage in exchange for some food. After throwing away her garbage, the children came back limping and crying because the glass from the trash cut their skin. Her neighbor gave them food, but the food looked and smelled rotten. The quality at which the children were treated was unbelievably horrible. They were treated as less than human beings anywhere they went. Deciding that no one should have to live that way, Rosie offered them fresh food and told them to bring whoever was in need. Around 40 people were served that day. The next day 70 children came. 

Slowly, Rosie started developing relationships with each of the children and turned into the mother they needed. Rosie saw potential and intelligence in the children that many people would ignore. Still, after realizing that none of them had the means for an education, she began teaching them. Each day, she would educate and play with them for a few hours and her father would buy groceries for her mother to cook food for them. Their system worked beautifully, and there were no problems. But unfortunately, after a while, she realized many children were missing. After talking to the other children about where they had gone, she learned several of the children were orphaned and moved away to Mumbai to continue their lives of begging. Touched and bewildered by the lives these children were living, she realized she needed to take her next step towards giving them what they deserved. 

Rosie crossed the Chandanagar Railway track and ended up in Hyderabad’s slums, which some might consider rock bottom if it were a place. Terrified by what she was about to do, Rosie took a bold leap of faith and started talking to the parents of some of the children she took care of. Automatically assuming she was a kidnapper, they told her she could take the children and teach them if she paid 200 rupees per head. 200 rupees is the equivalence of $3.30. Since she was just a college student, she didn’t have enough money to pay for the children, but she did have the patience to convince their parents to trust her. Not knowing what other choices she had, she lived in the slums with the children and their families for 2 months. The slums were cramped, poorly ventilated, unclean, and even considered “unfit for human habitation”, but she was willing to do whatever it took. She finally earned their trust and started half-day school and shifted to midday meals. The children she taught were all different and struggled in their own ways. Some of them were drug addicts or alcoholics, and some just came from broken, care-free homes. Rosie took care of every child who came to her and even made sure they were treated as her own.

Rosie’s initiative began to spread through the media and many platforms. More people began to seek her help, and she was able to expand her horizons of giving. In just her second year of her initiative, she was balancing getting her masters in social work and taking care of over 100 children. She continued to find children begging on the streets and automatically brought them to her house, where she gave them clean clothes and counseled them. Today, the children she took care of are in college and continuing on to higher education, with around 1500 more children on the road to success. She also initiated a women’s activities training program that empowers women and allows them to make a steady living.  

Rosie was faced with many hardships in terms of obstacles, but she was able to overcome all of them. Her orphanage was attacked by mafia members; dogs were released to harm the children. Her biggest obstacle was the doubt people placed in her efforts. Many people were uncomfortable with her goals because she was a young woman. They believed she would be better off picking a safe path for her life, but she realized having the courage to make the world a more beautiful place did not have a gender requirement. She was following her heart and doing what she knew was right. She knew this is what she had to do. By giving these children new lives, she sacrificed her own life, but she has no regrets. Rosie says, “it is God’s work, and he gave me the opportunity to serve these children.” 

Rosie’s goal is to build a university for orphaned and underprivileged students, but without proper funding, it’ll easily take her another 10-15 years to start building the college. She needs over $500,000 more dollars to reach her goal.  If people like us spread her story, we are helping her, but we are serving the world in our own way. 

Child labor is a prevalent problem across the world today. It deprives a child’s right to seek an education and binds them to a sad, set, and broken life. According to UNICEF, there are 10.1 million child laborers in India. 152 million children are globally estimated to be in child labor, accounting for 1 in 10 children globally. Children belong in schools, not the workplace. People like Rosie are on their way to challenge the feats of child labor. We must take our own initiative to stare at a problem and attack in even the slightest way possible. That is how we, the people, will persevere and allow the world to do the same.  

Any donations towards helping Rosie reach her goals would be greatly appreciated! Donate to the link below!

http://www.sathsankalp.org