One Purpose, One Passion, One Mission, Rescue the Children

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As a new day began on the streets of Mumbai, a 7 year-old boy was awakened by the noisy sounds of the bustling city. He opened his eyes only to discover that his friends were already gone for the day. “Oh well, what will I eat today?,” the boy thought as he reached into his pocket for the few remaining coins. He walked to the familiar old fountain, splashed water on his face, and began yet another day of begging on the usual street corner.

Today, Biju was hoping to do better than the past few days. Begging was the only way he knew of filling his small pockets with coins for food. Standing on the corner with outstretched hands, his thoughts quickly returned to the story an old man had shared with his friends and he the previous night.

“You know, children; when I was younger I found a small village that had everything I could ever hope for… plenty of the finest foods, clothes of every color, peaceful places to sleep, and music that filled the air and brought a smile to my face. The people in the village were extremely friendly and they filled my pockets with coins everyday. Even my aches and pains seemed to go away…”

“Where is this place?!,” the children asked intently.

After recalling the story, Biju thought, “Maybe that is where my friends went today; in search of the village in the old man’s story.”

He immediately abandoned the street corner and ran towards the train station. “Perhaps they took the train to this village,” he thought. Biju jumped on the train as it was leaving the station and sighed with relief as he eluded the ticket-taker once again. He had learned how to survive on the streets, and riding the train for free was no exception.

Enjoying the wind on this face as he leaned out the train car window, Biju’s little mind raced with excitement as he tried to recall the name of the storied village. “Was it, ‘The Village of Something Possible?,’” he wondered.

The train moved faster as it headed south, leaving the city behind. “The Village of Anything is Possible!” Biju suddenly remembered the name of the village and began asking other passengers where he might find it. “No such place exists on this route,” he was told repeatedly as he searched relentlessly for anyone who could give him
directions.

An entire day of questioning the train passengers passed with no result and Biju was hungry and discouraged. No one seemed to know where the “Village of Anything is Possible” was located. The train finally reached its destination and as it slowed to a stop, Biju slipped off the train car onto the small city streets. These streets were foreign to him and he immediately began asking passers-by for spare change. “Excuse me?,” he asked each person who was kind enough to notice him; “Will you please tell me where I can find the village named, ‘Anything is Possible?,’”. Unfortunately, no one in the small city had ever heard of the village and Biju began to wonder if such a place even existed.

Evening fell on the city as Biju searched for a place to curl up and sleep for the night. Tears welled up in his eyes and the cold night air made him tremble as he thought, “Today I lost my friends, no one gave me any coins, and I really don’t think the old man’s village exists.”

Exhausted from a long journey, a fruitless afternoon of begging, and a lack of food, Biju finally found a place to sleep. The back door of the rug makers’ shop seemed perfect to him and he hurriedly piled scraps from the day’s shop work around himself to keep warm.

Biju fell asleep quickly and began dreaming of how wonderful life was when his mother was still alive. A year had passed since her death, but to him it seemed like years ago. “At least we had one meal most days,” he thought. It felt so good to snuggle beside his mother on cold nights and Biju felt much safer living on the streets when she was with him.

Each night as he lay down, Biju remembered his mothers words; “You are such a handsome, smart young man and one day you will go to school.” “You will be wealthy because you are such a good boy…” This night he also dreamt of finding “The Village of Anything is Possible.”

“Welcome, Biju! We’ve been waiting for you.”. “Where am I?,” Biju asked. The voice answered, “This is ‘The Village of Anything is Possible.’” He raced towards his friends and immediately noticed something very different about them. The ragged clothes they once wore were replaced with new ones. Their eyes were filled with joy and their once skinny bodies now seemed much fuller.

“Come quickly, Biju!,” his friends cried out; “Come see where we sleep!” “Look at the room where we study, it’s stacked with books!” “Guess what we’ve learned?”

Biju was so happy to find his friends and to discover what they had been doing. He suddenly noticed that his once ragged clothes also appeared new and his stomach no longer ached with hunger pains. Music filled the air just as the old man said and the sounds of the day seemed so light-hearted and happy. Biju noticed a sign welcoming visitors to “The Village of Anything is Possible” and wondered if he really found the village.

The sun rose over the city and Biju was awakened by the barking of stray dogs and the sound of a voice yelling, “Move on, boy! You can’t sleep here anymore, it’s not good for my business!” He realized in an instant that the village was only a dream. As he walked away from the rug store, he began to tell himself that there was no such place as “The Village of Anything is Possible.”

Biju noticed that his clothes were still rags and that his body was still skinny and frail. He wandered to the nearest street corner and began his daily routine. “Excuse me, Sir?! Can you spare some change for a hungry young man?” His heart was filled with sadness and his eyes with tears.

Biju returned to Mumbai to resume the search for his friends. Day-by-day, the memory of his mother faded and the old man’s village story seemed an ever distant dream. He often thought, “If only I could find such a place, perhaps things would be different for me.”

Will you help us create “The Village of Anything is Possible?”
Although this is only a story, it is based on the true life of a boy who lived on the streets of Mumbai, India. I met Biju in an orphanage in India, and for him, “The Village of Anything is Possible” is now a reality.

For millions of homeless orphans around the world, there is no “Village of Anything is Possible” in their lives. For them, it is an everyday struggle to survive.

Mission for Orphans is all about creating as many “Possibility Villages” as we can. 5 for Kids is about kids helping less fortunate kids around the world. Although this may seem like an impossible dream, we can work together to make a difference in the lives of orphaned and homeless children. If it’s a donation of .05, .50, $5.00, $50.00 or more, what if several million kids worldwide worked together to make this dream a reality?