At the heart of VIPASA is our need and want to give something back – particularly to those who need it most. The Bright Hope Foundation is just one of the causes that Ruchi, creator, and founder of VIPASA, wants to help raise more awareness for. Here is all you need to know

In 2019, Ruchi wanted to donate at least some of her belongings to raise funds for an orphanage – she was looking for a way to give more to children in need. She soon was introduced to the Bright Hope Foundation. Just as VIPASA candles enliven your surroundings, Ruchi has been using some of the proceeds to illuminate the lives of the children at Bright Hope Foundation. 

Humble Beginnings

Mr Shiva, a man with humble beginnings and a secondary school education, was forced to work at a young age for his family. “I came from a very poor family myself. Education, food, clothing, and shelter were all hard to come by when I was young,” he explained.  As he made it through each day’s struggles, he promised God he would never let anyone enduring similar go through it without his help. It didn’t happen overnight; he worked in the textile industry as a QC Quality Controller for twelve years. While working in an MNC company based in Hong Kong, he inspected spinning mills and weaving factories in and around India and other countries. At one point during his work and travels in India, he was reminded and saw the hardship around him, children struggling, and was reminded of the promise he made. So, he returned to India to fulfill it. It was a long process; back and forth from offices to offices to find a location, filing papers and signing documents, waiting in queues (often under the scorching sun), but after a lot of hard work, in 2015, he finally established The Bright Hope Foundation. 

The Foundation

The Bright Hope Foundation, founded in 2015, is located in Hebbal, Bangalore. This orphanage comprises twenty-five children with six caretakers. Every child has their own heart-wrenching story of how they came to be at Bright Hope. Some come from broken homes, some have just a single parent or no parents at all and some come from the slums of Bangalore city. Children who were forced to beg on the streets and sleep on the roads are given shelter, covering, and food at this orphanage, which quite literally acts as a lifesaver for the children there. 

Here, they are provided with free education from Grade 1 to Grade 10. All their expenses from food, clothing, and essentials are covered. They are visited once a month or year by their family members (if they have any). Upon completing their studies, the children are sent back to their relatives, guardians, or a new home for further education. 

The foundation does so much, no detail is left forgotten; the caretakers and volunteers help bathe, groom and feed each child, along with cooking, cleaning and maintaining the space in and around the building. The home has no significant external support or foreign funds and is managed by Mr Siva through outsourcing. They are often invited to Palace Ground (a location where many luxury weddings take place) to collect the leftovers for the children. 

Mr Shiva says The Bright Hope Foundation was one of the best decisions he has ever made in life – he has created and given a roof over the heads of many children who would be homeless without it. This non-profit organisation has stayed firm even through the pandemic with small, helpful contributors from around the region – he also distributed biscuits to those in some of the poorest areas –and they have applied for government funding, but they need your support more than ever. 

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