What We Do - Bethania Kids

Bethania Kids serves nearly 1000 impoverished children, women, and families through ministry sites in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha in South India. Our ministries include:

Residential Homes for Girls and Boys (4)
Care Centres (9)
Rehabilitation Centres (2)
Women’s Empowerment Programs (6)

Bethania Kids Ministries

Children, women, and families in need are welcomed to Bethania Kids irrespective of their religious and cultural traditions. At Bethania Kids they learn first of their value and worthiness as children of God and of Jesus’ steadfast and enduring love for them.

We hope you will explore each element of the Bethania Kids’ ministry and join us in giving thanks for all the lives touched by God’s ever-constant love. We rejoice in the opportunity to help these children and families build independent and productive lives, to break the bonds of poverty, and to succeed in today’s world.

Nurturing and Equipping God’s Children

In the Gospel of Luke, Luke 2:52, we learn “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and men.” Bethania Kids takes this model very seriously, focusing on a holistic approach to child development based on the dimensions spelled out in this scripture passage:

Wisdom: intellectual growth
Stature: physical growth
In favor with God: spiritual growth
And of man: social growth

The nurture and care of all the children at Bethania Kids, in residence homes and care centres, are based on these four crucial elements of development, giving every child the best possible chance to change their world through Jesus’ love.

By the time children come to live at one of our residence homes, they have already had unimaginable tragedy and trauma in their young lives. Most have lost one or both parents and have experienced abject poverty, malnutrition, physical and/or emotional abuse, violence, and more. Their spirits have been crushed, and they have lived in great fear, having come to distrust adults and society. They are brought to Bethania Kids by family members, church workers, teachers, or others who recognize their hopelessness and despair. Our staff members are trained to recognize the emotional needs of the children and help them integrate into a loving environment where they can begin to feel safe and trust caregivers and adults. The children already living in the home welcome them immediately, extending their love and assistance in every case.
Building on the assurance of God’s enduring love, care for the children begins with meeting physical needs, including nutritious meals, clothing, a safe place to live and sleep, as well as the medical attention so many initially require. From there we focus on the holistic development of each child, including physical, social, spiritual, and intellectual/educational growth and development. This model includes the best in nurturing care, excellent educational support, and a sound spiritual foundation, giving each child a new and abiding sense of love and hope.

Children in Bethania Kids residence homes understand at a young age the importance of both love and education in their lives, the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty and building productive lives for themselves, their families, and for generations to come. They become very hard workers and many earn awards in academics, sports and the arts at the local schools. We are proud of their work and their accomplishments, and so are they!
Bethania Kids Care Centres are located in and around the town of Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, and in two remote tribal areas of Odisha. All are thriving community centres and have waiting lists for day care and after-school programs. Children served are provided academic assistance, Christian nurturing, nutritious meals, health care, clothing, uniforms, and a safe refuge in which to learn and receive the love of Christ. Children flourish in an atmosphere of love and joy while learning through song, dance, stories, and many other activities, offering so much more than simply a place for children to go while their parents work.
Most families in the villages served by Bethania Kids Care Centres are extremely poor, living in substandard housing with no electricity or plumbing facilities. Parents are primarily day laborers, looking for work every day, many earning less than $1 per day. There is a high incidence of single parent families, often with the woman of the household the only family support. If the children were not at a Bethania Kids Care Centre, they would most certainly be at home with no care. We accept children with the greatest need into our Care Centres.

Day care programs, for children ages 2-5, begin between 8 am and 9 am and are based on a tried and true curriculum of early child development, complete with learning objectives and pertinent activities to foster confidence and joy in learning. We focus on:
- Language development
- Motor skills and coordination
- Body functions, including toilet training
- Pre-reading and writing skills
- Appropriate behavior and relationship skills
- Distinguishing between right and wrong
- Food and nutrition
Children from Bethania Kids care centres are well-prepared for going to school, and local teachers tell us often of their positive impact on other students when they attend school.

In addition, the children at our care centres receive two nutritious meals plus snacks during the day. Too often the only food they receive is at the Bethania Kids Care Centre. Care Centres meet Monday through Saturday to ensure the children receive adequate food.

After-school programs for students in school, ages 6-18, are designed to supplement and enhance the academic education the children receive at the local schools they attend.

The after-school curriculum includes:
- Tutoring in class subjects, guiding daily assignments and homework, special attention to skills in reading, writing, and mathematics
- Physical skills development, e.g., games and sports
- Attention to conscience, ethics, values and moral behavior issues
- Spiritual growth through Bible study and Christian nurture
- Supplemental nutrition, including food before and after school
Teachers in local schools tell us they look forward to having students from Bethania Kids Care Centres. Our children do very well in school, and they have a positive impact on other students, encouraging them to do their best and setting a high standard for each class. Many Bethania Kids alumni become candidates for post-secondary education and training, as well as being offered good jobs. It is always a joy to hear of the accomplishments of our alumni and their gratitude for what they gained during their time at Bethania Kids. We thank God for the opportunity to share in their lives.
During Jesus’ ministry here on earth, he reached out especially to those with physical and mental challenges, valuing their lives as children of God. Bethania Kids has taken to heart Jesus’ direction to care for those differently-abled in two rehabilitation centres, giving those who attend purpose in their lives and value in their communities.
Children who attend the Poombarai Special School and the CSI Rehabilitation & Training Centre live with a variety of differing abilities, such as cerebral palsy, deafness, mental challenges and others. Such children are often ignored or ostracized within their families and communities. The Bethania Kids staff are kind and gentle teachers, offering very real examples of God’s love for each child and teaching them to be independent and productive members of the community. We give thanks daily for both our staff and the differently-abled children they serve.
- Poombarai Special School
- CSI Rehabilitation & Training Centre
The women who participate in Bethania Kids Women’s Empowerment Programs face the difficult challenge of intense poverty, often coupled with spousal abuse, abandonment and/or alcoholism. We offer women with no financial means the opportunity to positively change the lives of their families and the chance to learn skills they can use to work in the textile industry or to create a business of their own from home. Many bring their children to the local Bethania Kids Care Centre for safe and nurturing care while they learn.
In addition to vocational training, the women share their stories and receive emotional support from staff and other participants, gaining the benefit of counseling and guidance as they work through the many life challenges they face. Coming from different faith traditions, the women also learn of God’s love for them and their families. As participants begin to earn income, they gain self-confidence, a new sense of independence, and heightened respect from their families and their communities alike.

Participants are selected on the basis of dire family circumstances and financial need. The two-year program teaches:
- Sewing basics
- Embroidery stitching
- How to use a sewing machine
- How to cut fabrics and other materials
- How to sew various types of clothing
- Basket-weaving
- Knitting
Several women have bought their own sewing machines (a 3-4 year investment) and now earn their living as tailors in their communities. Bethania Kids shipped 35 new sewing machines to India in late 2018 for use at our WEP sites.

Mabel’s Women’s Empowerment Program, our first WEP, was opened in 2003. Our newest WEP site is the Annapoorani Women’s Tailoring and Embroidery Centre, opened in the spring of 2020 at Kannivadi, where Dayavu Home for Boys is located. The new center is the result of generous gifts from Rajesh Subramaniam, CEO of California-based EmbedUR, and Elizabeth and Kraig Olejniczak, long-time donors and members of our Board of Advisors. We are grateful for their contributions to bright futures for many women in the Kannivadi community!