Sujatha was born into a tribal family, in a remote village. She was born with a disability, because of this, her father left when she was a little girl. Her mother began to treat her harshly, by beating her and depriving her of food; blaming her and the disability for her father's abandonment. 

In South Asia, life is very difficult for the disabled, and especially for disabled girls. As a teenager, Sujatha was extremely broken -- if people had not intervened, in her several suicide attempts, her story might have had a devastating ending.

One day, someone told her about Rise+Shine’s school for children with disabilities. She arrived without any introduction, weeping as she shared life story.

Within a few months she had learned how to read and write in the local language. After excelling rapidly in her education, she began learning to sew. Over the course of three years, Sujatha learned how to sew beautiful clothes and she received the gift of her own sewing machine.

After graduation as she was leaving, she said, “…You have changed my life and given me new life. If I had not come to this place three years ago: I would have died with a different perspective of this world, for disabled girls like me. Now I have seen a different world, where I have found love, care, and eternal hope in my life.

When Sujatha returned back to her own village, she started a small sewing business. Before long, customers came daily, bringing her fabric to make dresses, and gradually the entire village recognized Sujatha as a very talented seamstress.

While her business has become such a success, she gives back to help the students at Rise+Shine as she is able and shares her testimony to every person she can.

More important than all of these wonderful changes, Sujatha found the love of Jesus and received him into her heart during her time at Rise+Shine.

Thank YOU for making more stories like Sujatha’s possible in South Asia.