Newsletter

Our private invitation to the Pope's Residence

School Awards for our GRACE Initiative Students

We are thrilled to announce that we have enrolled 5 additional students into our Legacy Education to receive higher education and and career training.

Through your abundant love and generosity, Embers provides summer activities and outings where our children can play and explore away from the red-light area into which they were born. This year, they have visited a water park for the first time, participated in dance classes, and enrolled in a soccer camp. "The children in Turbhe live in an area fraught with danger," says Susanna Santosh, our Director of Education. "Their regular play area is a bare road or a mountain of rubble. Many kids just get shut up in the four walls of a tiny hut, locked in by parents who are protecting them from the harsh realities outside." Through Sahasee Embers Children's Center, we create space for them to enjoy their childhood in a safe environment – places where they can develop friendships, create, and be inspired. "The kids get to finally be kids," says Susanna. GIVE TODAY

Embers is thrilled to announce three new hires! As Embers enjoys a season of new growth, we are excited to work alongside Kate, Sung-Jin, and Elinore, as they each are valuable additions in our pursuit to end intergenerational exploitation and prevent human trafficking. Kathryn ("Kate") Paik oversees Embers' six strategic programs as our Director of Programs. Kate comes to Embers with many years of experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating programs supporting women and girls affected by crises across the globe, most recently with the Women's Refugee Commission. Kate has a master’s degree in International Policy from Wagner School of Public Service at NYU. Sung-Jin Lee is Embers' Program & Development Associate, and supports all aspects of Embers' programs in India, as well as focusing on donor cultivation and fundraising efforts. Prior to joining Embers, Sung-Jin served as a pastor overseeing youth programs and cultivating spiritual formation for the youth group. Sung-Jin received a Master's in Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Philosophy from Villanova University. Elinore Straughn serves as Embers Apprentice for the finance, development, and program teams. Elinore is a rising junior at The King's College where she studies Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, with a minor concentration in International Affairs. Elinore serves as the President of her school's International Justice Mission chapter, where she leads advocacy efforts on campus. We are still hiring! If you are interested in playing an important role on our team, apply to one of our open positions in the link below, and if you know any qualified candidates, tell them about Embers! CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

As the next academic year rolls around, Embers is thrilled to announce that we have enrolled 26 new children at a private school through G.R.A.C.E. Initiative and accepted 7 new children into preschool at Sahasee Embers ! We are now educating 93 students towards a future filled with opportunity and freedom. Through your incredible love and generosity, Embers provides preschool as well as primary, secondary, college, and graduate-level education to students who are the very first generation to be educated in their families. This year brings the greatest number of students Embers has committed to empower. "Education is the way forward, and [parents] see it as a way out of poverty – but it's so much more than that," says Susanna Santosh, our Director of Education. "It is so much more. It's a hope that children have." In our 93 children, we see hope. Will you stand with our students? GIVE TODAY

School closures due to the pandemic have caused devastating damage to education among children around the world. Since the global lockdown in 2020, schools in more than 160 countries have closed, disproportionately affecting over millions of students in countries with low- and middle-income brackets. According to the UN, 70% of 10-year-olds living in higher risk countries are unable to read a simple piece of text, a significant jump from the 53% pre-pandemic rate. Children without adequate support at home have fallen full years behind in their studies, many dropping out altogether. Children with no access to technology are left behind , and domestic abuse rates have risen as students are forced to stay home. More than catastrophic disruptions in learning, school closures have driven up levels of anxiety and depression among children and stripped school meals from students , a reliable source of food for more than 370 million children. "In March, we will mark two years of COVID-19-related disruptions to global education," says Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Chief of Education. "Quite simply, we are looking at a nearly insurmountable scale of loss to children’s schooling." And yet, against all odds, Embers International’s children are flourishing. Our G.R.A.C.E. Initiative students have advanced forward in their second year at a private school, preparing to shift to in-person learning soon (top left photo). Sahasee Embers remains a beacon of hope to the red-light community of Turbhe, located in the outskirts of Mumbai. Children are provided with not only technology for remote learning, but also with nourishing meals and after-school assistance. The Sahasee Embers library continues to take shape as a groundbreaking space for children to explore freely and learn safely in the red-light area. Backed by faithful supporters, visionary grantors, and local partners in the red-light districts, Embers has steadily provided private school education throughout the pandemic to students ages 4 to 22 years old . At the end of 2021, three new Legacy Education students embarked on an exciting new journey to begin nursing studies (bottom photo). Madhu and Roshni completed their two-year nursing program at the top of their class and are forging ahead in their studies to obtain a more advanced nursing degree. We are beyond proud of our G.R.A.C.E. Initiative and Legacy Education students for charging ahead with courage and resilience in the midst of a pandemic that reaped massive loss. Thank you for making education for our children a reality. As we reflect on a full year, we look forward with much hope. SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION

Embers International is thrilled to announce the completed construction and opening of the first and only oxygen plant in Assam, India. Through our partnership with Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) and through the mighty generosity of Embers' faithful supporters, Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital (BMCH) is now equipped to serve a population that has not had access to medical-grade oxygen due to their isolated location in the rural northeast region of India. The inauguration of the plant was featured on the news – tune in for a word in English from the hospital administration in the clip above. In July 2021, we launched our Oxygen Project to build a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant providing COVID-19 relief to survivors of trafficking and poverty-stricken members of the Assam community. Since Assam produces over half of India's tea, the high demand for tea-harvesting laborers combined with its interlocked geographic location renders the region is an epicenter of trafficking across country borders. The province imports a devastatingly high number of human lives, accounting for more than 22% of the total reported cases of trafficking across all of India. Embers’ oxygen plant is a critical foundation to care for one of the country's most exploited populations. "We want to thank Embers International from the bottom of our heart," says Johnson Singson, Senior Administrative Officer at BMCH. "We would like to thank our donors because our hospital is located in a remote and far-flung area. This is the only oxygen plant that we have, and this oxygen plant will benefit the care of the peasants. We are going to take care of the poor and marginalized communities who will be coming to our hospital [to receive] treatment." Donors like you are the reason why we can provide programs like our Crisis Relief Initiative that help our neighbors in dire need. There are five days left to give to our 2021 Year-End Campaign! Give before December 31 and your gifts will be doubled up to $35,000. DOUBLE MY IMPACT