About 22 HIV infected children
who were abandoned by their parents have adopted by an Indian man named Rajib
Thomas aka Papa Reji and has been caring for their well-being for about 10 years
now.
The 44-year-old philanthropist lives
with all the children, wife and two biological children in house. They all live
happily as his wife happily in charge of cooking for all the children, while he
takes care of their education and healthcare needs
‘It was the year 2007 when I met
an HIV-positive girl outside a hospital and she asked me to get some noodles
for her,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t get it that day but promised to come back again.
‘The next day when I went there,
I got to know that the girl was no more. I was devastated after hearing the
news, so it was then that I thought of doing something for these children.’
The incident later made Papa Reji
to consult an HIV/AIDS expert Divya Mithale of his intention to adopt for him
to take in two abandoned babies.
‘In 2009, I rented a bigger space
for my wife and two children, and my other two HIV-positive newborns,’ he said.
‘Initially it was tough to make
ends meet, but we survived the hardships by giving up comfort and helping the
children.
‘Gradually people started
donating mattresses, food and money when they saw us working for these
children.
‘My family of four slowly
expanded to 24, as more and more children with HIV were sent to me from
different hospitals.’
Mini added: ‘We make sure that none
of the children feel left out at home. We scold all of them as much we love
them.
‘We celebrate their birthdays
here and take immediate care when someone falls sick.’
Papa Reji is visibly proud of his
ever-growing family, and says they have become his life’s purpose.
‘These children all call me Papa
and it is the duty of a father to protect his children,’ he said. ‘So I am not
doing anything extraordinary – just taking care of my children.’
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