Gary Gamer, Holt President and CEO
Pune, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra—As we pull through the gates of BSSK (Holt’s partner agency in Pune) a woman is standing outside. Her striking orange sari is illuminated by sunlight breaking through the monsoon rain clouds. Approaching closer, I see a look of concern on her face. She holds a tiny baby close to her chest. The baby, whose eyes are glued shut, couldn’t be more than a day or two old. The woman is totally focused on the baby, intent on ensuring the child is safe and gets the care necessary for her survival.
What an awesome responsibility BSSK has. They take in homeless and at-risk children whose lives often hang in the balance. Their own neonatal unit stabilizes newborns many of whom were born prematurely and underweight. Should a baby be in critical condition, they are whisked to a local hospital with one of the best neonatal intensive care units in India.
A sense of mission permeates BSSK. You can feel it as you interact with the caregivers, and talk to the social workers, the medical personnel and the leaders of the agency. Children are not just cared for here, they are understood and loved. This is part and parcel of the overall mission Holt International shares with BSSK: to get children into permanent loving families.
Several floors up in the BSSK building, four siblings are about to be reunited with their birth mother. With the loss of their father, a crisis ensued. BSSK provided a healthy and supportive sanctuary for these kids while social workers helped the mom get back on her feet.
Other children at BSSK are in various stages of being adopted. Most end up in the loving arms of Indian families. Parents come from all across India to adopt from BSSK because they know BSSK’s services are so strongly focused on the well being of children and their adoption will be in the highest of ethics. The quality and transparency of BSSK’s practice is vital for the privilege of assisting children through intercountry adoption–a partnership Holt has maintained with BSSK for nearly 28 years.
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Congratulations on your new blog!!!
Thanks to Holt support, BSSK has maintained high standard of care and services evolved with professionalism, transparency and ethical practices.
This has helped BSSK being recognised as one of the leading agencies in India for domestic adoptions.
Together we can ….
all we need is ‘Hands to Work and Hearts to Love’
as we reach out to a child to be ‘safe and secure’.
Maina
thanks for the update on BSSK. Just reading the part about the gates brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of all the love my daughter experienced while she was safely and lovingly cared for by the staff of BSSK. Thank you for loving my daughter until she could be safely transfered to our arms and back to our home in the states.