He duped her. The love of her life, the father of her unborn child, was a fraud. He pretended to love her, stole her dowry and left her alone in a strange city.

A few months later Sunita gave birth to her son, Sanju, whom she was certain she would give up for adoption. But the love she felt for him healed her broken heart. He gave her a reason to fight to live another day. And she did fight.

Years later, there was a drought in her village and the field Sunita was working in yielded no crops. She and Sanju were faced with the painful reality of hunger. Sunita, like the fighter she is, left Sanju in the care of her elderly mother and set off to Delhi in search of a job.

Not knowing how to read or write, Sunita fell victim to the prey of human traffickers. Her documents were taken away and she was told she would have to work in order to get them back.

She went out for work one day and met OLTL founder, @courtneylalotra. Courtney instinctively knew Sunita was in need of help and asked if she needed a safe place to stay. Sunita moved into the Home of Hope that same afternoon. OLTL helped get her documents back and hired her as a Housemother. Everything she needs is provided by OLTL, and she earns an honest salary which she can send back to her village to take care of her family.

Since joining OLTL as a Housemother, Sunita has learned to write her own name. She learned to read. She learned to give and receive love. Sunita has learned to heal and is in turn helping many children to heal.

“When I think of Sunita, I get very emotional,” Courtney says with tears. “She has such a painful past, yet she wakes up every morning and chooses love and service….She is a warrior.”

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Any mother will tell you- motherhood is the most difficult, rewarding, exhausting, inspiring, demanding, beautiful job in the world. Now ask a mother of a child with special needs.

Housemothers are the backbone of our Home of Hope. They provide 24/7 love and care to each of our children, treating them as their own.

They cook and clean. They bathe the children, change diapers cut finger nails and comb hair. They change bed sheets, wash clothes, tie shoelaces. They give comfort, guidance and instruction. They love and are loved. It is not a glamorous job by any means. But it is the most important job in the world.

—-

“I feel they are all my own children. When I first joined [One Life to Love] I was not sure how to care for children with special needs.

Didi [Courtney Lalotra, Founder of OLTL] taught me to see the beauty within each one. When I could finally see them, I could see myself. I feel this is a privilege to work here.

This is God’s work, and I experience the blessings of God everyday.” -Sunita, Housemother

One Life to Love hires widows and survivors of domestic abuse to be the caretakers of the children in our Home of Hope. Known as Housemothers, they are the backbone of our Home of Hope, providing 24/7 love and care to all our children.