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India, Asia

IND04 - New Ark Mission of India

• View report dated: January 27, 2015

• View report dated: April 22, 2015

• View report dated: August 22, 2016

• View report dated: March 3, 2018

• View report dated: November 18, 2019

• View report dated: October 25, 2023

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Report Date: April 22, 2026

Report from BHW India Partnership Facilitator Following Visit

Key person: T Raja

I visited the Home of Hope India and spent time in the office area and women’s hospital, as well as meeting with Raja and key members of his team. The visit was an opportunity to see how the Home has developed since my October 2023 visit, to understand the current scale of the work, and to talk through the pressures Raja and the team are carrying at present.

The focus of the visit was on the growth of the Home of Hope, the current situation with the hospital and nursing training college, and how the ministry is navigating increasing operational, financial, and leadership strain.

Recent Events

Current Situation

The Home of Hope has continued to grow and now supports around 1,000 people across three sites. Two of the sites are on the same piece of land, with a third men’s home located approximately 3 km away.

Current approximate numbers are:
• 300–350 women
• 100 children
• Around 170 men on the main property
• Around 350 men at the off-site men’s home
• 80 hospital beds (40 for men and 40 for women)

The scale of the work is significant and represents substantial growth over time. 

Hospital and Nursing Training College

The nursing training college building, which was close to completion when we visited in 2023, is still not operational. Raja explained that licensing requirements have become a major barrier. In particular, the government now requires the Home of Hope hospital to have 200 beds, rather than the current 80, before a licence can be issued. Raja also described officials requesting money and generally making the process difficult.

While this situation has been unresolved, Raja leased the nursing college building to the local government to use as a detention centre for illegal immigrants awaiting deportation. There are currently around 150 detainees, with approximately 10 police officers stationed on site. The Home of Hope provides food and provisions, but the government has not been paying as agreed.

I found this arrangement concerning from a safety perspective, particularly given Raja’s own view that the detainees are dangerous. Raja has now formally written to the government asking for this arrangement to stop, both because of non-payment and because he wants to return the building to its original purpose.

Since the last visit, two companies have donated an additional 120 hospital beds through India’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework. Raja now needs to equip these beds. Once the hospital is operating at a larger capacity, he hopes to attempt again to secure the nursing college licence.

A sewage treatment plant has also been installed, which was required for hospital operation.

While on site, I met:
• Dr “D”, who has worked at the Home of Hope for around seven years. He shared that when he first arrived, he did not take a salary and simply wanted to see whether he could serve there. Over time he stayed on and appears content and committed to the work.
• Ganga, a young nurse (around 18 years old) who came to the Home of Hope as a small child. She is now serving as part of the nursing team. Seeing her in this role was a powerful reminder of the long-term impact of the Home.

The Home currently has six full time nurses, as well as a psychiatrist who has provided free online consultations for many years from one of the leading hospitals in the area. This support has been in place well before senior administrator Divia joined the ministry. 

Daily Operations and Pressures

Daily life at the Home of Hope remains intense:
• Around 330 kg of rice is cooked each day.
• Fresh vegetables are sourced weekly from farmers around 75 km away to keep costs down.
• LPG gas is currently unavailable or too expensive, reportedly linked to international supply issues, so the Home has reverted to using firewood for cooking.

Raja noted that the cost of 100 hospital beds is around ₹8 lakhs, which gives some sense of the scale of capital costs the ministry is dealing with.

Administration, Structure and Team

Compared with previous visits, the Home of Hope feels more structured and controlled. On arrival, my name and phone number were recorded, and access to certain areas (particularly mental health wards and men’s areas) was restricted due to safety protocols. In the past, Raja would often take visitors freely into these areas.

Divia plays a critical role in the day to day running of the Home. She manages much of the administration and is the main point of contact with Bright Hope World. Divia shared that when she joined 13 years ago, the Home supported around 300–350 people, highlighting the scale of growth since then.

Divia also noted that the Home has recently lost two large donors from the US. The reasons given relate to wider external factors, though this is difficult to verify. In response, the Home has employed two staff focused on contacting donors by phone. If further corporate support becomes available, Divia said she would prioritise kitchen expansion and development. 

 

Current Issues and Challenges

• Safety concerns linked to the detention centre operating on site
• Ongoing barriers to hospital and nursing college licensing
• Loss of major donors and financial pressure
• Rising food and energy costs
• Raja’s health, wellbeing, and sustainability as leader

 

Ideas/Plans for the Future

From discussions and observation:
• Raja intends to end the detention centre arrangement and refocus the building on the nursing college
• Hospital equipment is needed to make use of newly donated beds
• Once hospital capacity increases (to 200), Raja plans to reapply for the nursing college licence
• Kitchen expansion is a priority if additional funding becomes available.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Pray for Raja’s physical health, emotional strength, and rest
2) Pray for wisdom in dealing with government authorities
3) Give thanks for the strong team and the many lives being cared for
4) Pray for provision amid rising costs and donor uncertainty.

 

Comments

The Home of Hope continues to operate at remarkable scale, with a committed team and clearer structures than in the past. At the same time, the ministry is carrying significant and ongoing stress — operationally, financially, and personally for Raja.

There is a strong team in place and a deep legacy of care, but the work remains heavily dependent on Raja’s leadership and resilience.