Michigan-based nonprofit Mission India has found a way to connect local children with those in India without ever having to board a plane. The free, online program allows children to learn about life in the South Asian country with a special passport, welcome kit and 10 short website videos. A tour guide leads viewers on an exciting journey across India featuring journal excerpts, photos, devotionals and stories from kids in India.
“When we first created My Passport to India, our goal was to give families and kids a tangible way to get involved in missions, and to get a true taste of what life is like for people half a world away in India,” explains Mission India President Dave Stravers.
Stravers continues, “What we didn’t expect was how enthusiastically and creatively these kids would receive the program and make it their own. We heard from parents that their kids got so excited about being able to help other kids that they threw all of their energy into filling their little “India suitcases” with loose change."
Zeeland parents Chet and Lucy Seay, along with their daughter Sarabeth, would agree.
“Sarabeth couldn’t wait to put money in the suitcase bank to help the children in India,” says Lucy Seay. “She held a toy sale at which she sold some of her own toys to raise money, and she also gave her own money she got from ‘The Tooth Fairy.’ All in all, she saved $9.95. She was very proud of herself.”
Sarabeth’s contributions will assist 360 children in India.
Since its September, 2010 debut, My Passport to India has earned critical acclaim, winning a silver Davey Award, recognition as a Webby Awards Official Honoree and an Award of Distinction for the Videographer Awards. In fact, My Passport to India raised enough money last year to send over 370,000 children to Bible Clubs and Literacy programs all over India.
Here’s how you can be a do-gooder by getting involved with Mission India:
Source: Lindsay Ackerman, Mission India; Dave Stravers, Mission India; Lucy Seay
Writer: Jennifer Wilson, Do Good Editor
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