I was a street kid, a railway slumdog. I spent my early childhood trying to survive, hopping trains was one way to do that. Today, I am living in the United States and working as an electrician. I often return to India, to the same orphanages that I used to live in. I have a group of volunteers that are eager to help build homes for destitute people and families in India. It means a lot to me to be able to go back and help because I know what it is like to starve and be homeless, to watch people die.
Going back many years ago, I do not know if it was 1984 or 1985 that I was caught by a man who worked for the train I had hopped on. This man could have hit, kicked, and yelled at me to scram, but he chose to do something amazing, something that changed my whole life. I was taken to the home of a lady who cleaned me up and gave me my first bath. Most kids do not remember their first bath, but I do. It stands out because I was probably 5 or 6, but I do not have anyone to ask to know for sure. I am just trying to piece the memories together as best I can.
I remember the next day I was picked up by a man wearing a fancy suit who took me to Mother Theresa’s Home for the Death and Dying (I was very malnourished and had tapeworm and abscessed teeth). At some point a black and white picture was taken of me and sent out around the world in hopes that someone would adopt me. In Washington state a woman saw my photo, something about my photo stood out to her amongst the hundreds of other pictures of orphans. She carried it around with her, showing it to people and asking them if they would pray about adopting me. In 1986, after being moved to at least 5 different orphanages, I boarded an airplane headed to Washington state where the woman who had seen my picture, now my mom, was waiting for me along with my dad, two brothers and two sisters. I am thankful that I was adopted and now 30 years later I make frequent visits back to India.
One of the most recent trips to India I took was in 2017, for the second time since I was adopted. I spent one month with my wife and son volunteering at the Mother Theresa Missionaries of Charity Orphanages. We did laundry, made beds, mopped floors, disinfected toys, and played and read with children. We worked in the handicap home, so we also helped rehabilitate children who had handicaps. We had the opportunity to visit Boys Town, which is the last orphanage that I lived in. A cook I remembered from the time I was little was still there and he recognized me! He remembered that I would hide food, which I did, because I never knew if there would be more food from all my years of starvation. It was such a surprise that he was still there and even more of a surprise that some of the other boys who I had lived with in Boys Town were also still there. They had never been adopted, like I had, and so the nuns at the home let them build little houses on the property. The houses are small, 300-400 square foot with no bathroom or kitchen.
I plan to make more trips to India in the future to volunteer and, if financially able, we would like to build at least one of these small houses for more kids who never found homes. It is my hope that I can ease the suffering of even just one person or child; I know the difference that one person with a heart of care can make. I am on a mission to bring adoption awareness and the benefits that it has for hopeless children. No child should be alone without love. We all need love! I was a street kid, I have been hungry, without a home, and no one who cared or loved me. I am proud to have been rescued from the streets and have found a loving family, parents who love me and want the best for me, and 30 years later I have a family of my own.
There is Hope. I came from the streets to become a proud, hardworking family man with the help of loved ones whom I call family. Without them I would not exist. One decision from my parents gave me a life that I am so thankful for. Imagine the impact we can make in other children’s lives if we just step out and love. I welcome you to join me in my journey as we help children in India.
Adam Dehart