Student Spotlight: Andrew Marshall

By Tom Marshall, father of Andrew Marshall

TNCS 10th grader, Andrew Marshall, spent part of his summer in rural India helping orphans, widows, and the poor as part of his ongoing support of Channel of Blessing, a Christian non-profit that works among the marginalized in India.

Andrew has been raising money to support sewing centers that teach widows how to earn a living by sewing uniforms and clothing for local use. Through the use of frequent flier miles, Andrew was finally able to visit India and see firsthand the programs he was supporting.

India is still very much a paternalistic society. If a wife’s husband dies, many times the family can become destitute. The sewing centers that Andrew supports provides a year of training and free use of the sewing machines. The goal is to make the women self-sufficient.

During the trip to rural India, Andrew was able to personally encourage the women and their children. He handed out completion certificates to those women who have completed the one-year apprenticeship program and spent time hearing the stories of the various families.

Andrew also spent time at two orphanages set up to reach out to street children in Hyderabad. The stories of these children are heartbreaking. Andrew spent time playing with the children and handing out care packages.

The hardest part of the journey was a visit to a home for destitute elderly women. With no family to take care of them, these women can be seen begging on the street for food every day. The home that Andrew visited allows some dignity for these elderly women by providing a safe place to sleep and proper food to eat. The conditions are very third world and heart-rending to say the least.

The highlight of the trip for Andrew was being in rural India during the monsoon season. The monsoon season was late this year and Andrew was able to see rural India in all of it’s glory and beauty as the rice fields were prepared for planting. It was a great experience living among the locals in the village of Iskabavigudem.