It’s been almost ten years since Birgitta Ekman, founder of the IndianChildren fund, was able to make a proper visit to India, the country where she was born.
Her love for this land, its people and culture, however, has never waned. At the end of 2009 she was finally able to return and had the opportunity of seeing the work of IndianChildren close up.

“Ulf and I got our visas renewed, and it was fantastic to walk on Indian soil after all this time”, says Birgitta.
“It was so wonderful to see with my own eyes the work of IndianChildren (IC), and to meet some of the children we are privileged to be able to help.”
The nine-day tour began with a visit to Calcutta and the Dhapa region, where IC have been running a school in the slums for the past 15 months. Happy children dressed in school uniforms met them with singing and dancing in the narrow, tall building that houses the school.
“Both the children and the teachers were delightful”, says Birgitta, smiling as she remembers the occasion.
“Our Swedish missionaries are doing a great work, helping the teachers with curriculum and lesson planning.”

The journey continued northward, by car to Chandrapura and the Theodori mission station, founded by Birgitta’s Dad, Sten Nilsson at the beginning of the 50’s. Travelling through the villages and seeing the Indian farmers harvesting their fields awakened many memories.
“The sense of coming home was unavoidable”, she says.
“My childhood in India has given me so much, and I am thankful for being able to make a useful contribution there now.”
The Theodori Hospital, where the maternity ward is supported by IC, has been partly renovated lately, both inside and out. In 36 of the nearby villages a health-care project has been implemented, whereby selected women receive training in health-care, hygiene and nursing – so that they in turn can be a resource for mothers and pregnant women in their home villages.
“We also got to meet some of the young women who have received microloans through IC, enabling them to start breeding pigs or growing vegetables”, Birgitta continues. 
After more visits to schools, microloan beneficiaries and old friends from her childhood, the next stop was Pakur, where the factory making artificial limbs and other aids for hundreds of children is located. One little girl, about nine years old, made a great impression on Birgitta.
“Due to the effects of TB, her spine was so weak that it was close to breaking, but now she had undergone some surgery and was much better already. We believe that God will move people to give, so that we can continue to help her as well as other children with even more serious diseases.”
“It was an unforgettable tour, and now we can resume the work from our home-base with renewed vigour”, concludes Birgitta, who is already planning to make another visit during the spring.