On Sunday, July 24, you can read
part one of a two-part report about the
war against moral wounds existing
today among American combat
soldiers . A retired U.S. Army
general will tell how close he
himself came to these "wounds"
in the Vietnam War. He lives in
a Chicago suburb.
Reported by Robert R.
Schwarz
As two searching pilgrims, Tom and Geetha Chitta stepped off their
jumbo jet at O'Hare International Airport more than ten years ago, they cringed a bit at the
radical climate change from their
hometown in India and headed for the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Their mission—which
they were starting from scratch—was to pitch a
base camp here and eventually reach back to help the "rural
poor" in the Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh. Besides their repeated prayers, their hope, for now, lay solely in an Arlington
Heights married couple who had adopted a three-month-old boy from an
adoption agency in India. Now they were about to meet the parents of this
child, Gail and Al Walton.
Momentum for
their base camp picked up amazingly fast. The "kindness of strangers”
first came with Katie McCambridge, who provided the Chittas with living
quarters in her condominium for two months. After that, several other families,
perceiving the missionary zeal of Tom and Geetha, shared their
homes. The Waltons gave them an office,
and Gail Walton donated her full-time services as executive secretary. Soon,
the Chittas had their base camp for a fledgling not-for-profit organization
called Foundation for Children in Need (FCN).
 |
| Dr. Chitta with a student at a free medical camp |
Next came twelve years of the Chittas criss-crossing America
by automobile and jet, annually averaging 20,000 miles to add sponsors and to bring their FCN message to more than 400 Catholic parishes. "I don't know of two harder working
people,” Reynolds said. “Tom is not able to slow down. He has only one
speed: 'faster '. "
Fruits of Their Labors
Tom, in his 60's, and his physician
wife Geetha provide leadership for this not-for-profit organization that brings critical aid
to more than 2,200 Indian children, college
students, and the elderly. They spend seven months each year at their home in
Porum Amilla , a town of 40,000 people in
the continent's southeast, about 400
kilometers from the city of Hyderabad where
there is another FCN office. There, one
sees the fruits of the Chitta’s seemingly indefatigable labors and of the loyalties and charity of thousands of
American donors and volunteers. Here is where hundreds of children and college
students receive aid; where another 5,000 non-sponsored students annually
receive dictionaries and notebooks; and where care is given to several hundred individuals afflicted with deafness,
blindness, lameness, and physical deformities.
Tom and Geetha helping the elderly in India
 |
| The Chittas with some of their sponsored children |
The FCN
school is spread over eight acres
surrounded by mostly flat farmland of
sugarcane, lentils, sunflowers,
peanuts, and—if water is available—rice.
Many of the farmers here are unskilled day laborers who, working in
summer (March through May) with temperatures of 100 to 115 degrees F. , earn 200
to 250 Rupees daily, or U.S. $3 to $4.
Porum Amilla
is encircled by approximately 200 villages, all within a 20-mile radius of the
FCN operation; each is populated by 20
to 50 families. Most people are Hindus
but, said Tom during our interview, there is "a good-sized Muslim
population, with whom we have an amicable relationship." The local language there is Telugu, the official
tongue of Andhra Pradesh, and its vocabulary has been somewhat shaped by the Sanskrit and Prakrits tongues.
Water
comes from hand-pumped "tube" wells in the villages; it is stored in
tanks from which people tap it and then carry home in buckets. Most homes do not have
running water. Although typhoid,
tuberculosis, pneumonia, and Hepatitis A exist, none is endemic, Geetha
explained. "Infant mortality is
about two to five per cent,” she said.
Tom said “mosquitoes are a big problem. So is malnutrition." In a newsletter, FCN stated that
"most of the people in the villages do not eat a balanced food diet. The health
and sanitation conditions are very poor."
FCN
has separate hostels for 90 boys and girls in grades one through ten. The
students come from villages and are provided education, food, clothing, and
medical care. They return home on holidays. Another 240 children daily walk one to three miles from home to attend
school each day. They are guided by FCN staff and given disbursement checks to deposit in
their bank accounts. All students attend
classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a 45-minute lunch break. They have a six-week summer vacation. FCN also provides free food, clothing, and
medical care for 15 elderlies at its St. Xavier's Home for the Aged.
Because
many older children have to stay at home to look after their younger siblings
and because child labor abuses are a serious problem in the region, FCN staff
and social workers encourage parents to have their children educated.
Asked to relate "success" stories of his students, Tom firmly replied: "The success story
is when the student graduates and is able stand on his own two feet.”
A Few Success Stories
One
such story is about Bramhaiah Chintakunta,
a college history major from a poverty-stricken family whose father died when he was age four, forcing his mother
to work in the fields.
"I am so grateful for a college education upon which to build the
dreams of my life," he stated.
Another success is Parameswari Palle,
a college graduate with an engineering degree. "I now have a bright future because of
FCN,” she said. And there is Bharath
Moyela, an eleventh grader born with a protruding spinal membrane, who related: " My mother is a widow and unskilled laborer who is looking for work each
day. It was very sad to see my mom struggling to take care of my medical needs
and then to send my sister and me to school. God heard our prayers , and my days
are bright now just because of someone in America [Fr. Bill Zavaski, former pastor of St. James] who has sponsored me
for 12 years." Fr.
Zavaski recently referred to Tom and Geetha
as a "blessing" for the St. James
parish.
Tom
sees FCN as unique: "It has been built up on the sacrifice of many
peoples' time, talent, and prayers,” he said in an interview several years ago. Critical help for launching their mission has come from Gail and Al Walton. “We are a very personable organization which keeps in timely touch with
our sponsors. We keep a good link between our children and sponsors by having them
exchange letters twice each year. " Sponsors are also encouraged to take
educational tours to FCN in India and visit their sponsored child or student
and family. One such sponsor, a St. James member, and his sponsored child, then in the fourth grade, have been exchanging letters for six years. In one of her letters, Mounika Kalluri, gave a full report
of her studies, adding: "I am safe here. Hope you are also safe by the
grace of God. "
Study and
Recreation
Tom's
parents were both primary school teachers and were from what he labeled
"lower middle class.” He has been a
Catholic from birth; his father was a Hindu convert. Tom obtained a Master's Degree in pastoral
theology and counseling from Loyola University in Chicago. Geetha obtained her
medical degree (with a family practice specialty) from St. John's Medical
College in Bangalore, India. Her father was a military officer, her mother a
homemaker.
Tom and Geetha met in India while both
were engaged in Catholic parish ministries in Kadapa. Both have been immersed in Catholicism all
their lives. (You just might occasionally see the Chittas at mass in St. James.;
they travel a lot on fund-raising missions )
For recreation, the Chittas read a
variety of books , favor Italian food , and daily enjoy a one-hour walk. They rarely see a movie, and they turn on TV only to watch news. Tom's most
difficult adjustment to this region?
Without hesitating, he simply uttered, “cold weather.” His most loved prayer is " The Prayer of St. Francis ". As for scripture, he loves Matthew 25:40: "Whatever
you did for one of these least of my brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me."
Husband and wife have been inspired by
the work of Mother Teresa, especially Geetha, who met this saint when Geetha was 17. "I see
something special in you,” Mother Teresa told her. "You , little girl,
are going to be a doctor and help the needy."
Years later with her
medical degree in hand, Geetha told her husband: “And when a saint tells you to do something,
you do it."
THE END
Note: On Aug. 12 in Arlington
Heights, Illinois, the Chittas
will celebrate the 20th anniversary
of their now international
Foundation for Children
in Need . A thanksgiving mass
will be held the St. James Catholic
Church (RSVP to Kirsten
and Joe Hertvik at 847-255-
4967 or "khertvik@gmail.com") .
comments welcomed
©2014, 2022 Robert R. Schwarz
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