One Man’s Mission to Help Abused Children

GEORGE’S CHILDHOOD

As a child, George endured physical abuse from his alcoholic father. His mother was also a victim of his horrible physical abuse. One day when George was 16 months old, his dad poured gasoline on his mom and set her on fire. She died in the hospital a few days later. Afterwards, George went to a boarding school for missionary kids. A year later, his dad remarried and George came back home to live. The cycle of physical abuse continued. In 4th grade he joined a school where he was enrolled as a Compassion Child until he was in the 10th grade. George was also being sexually abused by men in his community that he trusted until he was 15. He desperately longed for love and affirmation. He knew about God, but was afraid to see Him as a father due to his history of abuse. Finally, in tenth grade, he accepted the Lord as his Savior.

He began working with children in an orphanage at 15 and taught them about the Lord. “When I was in 10th grade I was suspended from school towards the end because my dad had come to school and beat up a teacher,” shares George. Although he was suspended from school George was allowed to write the final examination. He studied all by himself as he sat outside the house under the street lights. The next day when the exam results came in he never expected to pass, but discovered he was in the top 5 in the whole school. Later that evening he went to a graveyard where he would always sit and cry. He recalls, “I knelt down with no pastor or teacher and asked Jesus to come into my heart. I said, 'Lord you are trying to do something in my life. I will not resist you any more. Come and have your way in my life.'” George was 15 years old when he made this decision. 

His father’s physical abuse at home continued until George was old enough to leave. At 18, he became a caretaker/chaplain for a boarding school in his city. When he was 21 years old he went to the remote parts of North East India as a missionary for a couple of years. He then went back to school to receive his master’s in divinity and counseling. After school, he married Manju in 2005. They soon began their family (which now consists of two biological children and ten adopted children) and founded the Santhosa Samsara organization. 

SANTHOSA SAMSARA 

With all the abuse George has gone through he says, “We are who we are because of our journey.” Today he is providing a healing space for children who need to heal just like he did through the Santhosa Samsara, an organization that he and his wife started in 2009. “It began with the vision of being an orphanage for children who were from hard places. This vision of the orphanage expanded with a growing awareness of the range of issues including the need for children to be in families. It began to develop wings that counter problems like a lack of access to education, poverty, abandonment, and most recently child abuse and trauma,” shares George.

Through this organization, they are reaching out to thousands of children and teenagers who have gone through a similar journey of abuse. George says, “Healing is possible.” Currently, they are building India’s first discipleship and emotional trauma center (counseling/therapy center) for children and teenagers who are abused, neglected, and disadvantaged. At Santhosa Samsara, their goal is to protect the child to ensure that those under 18 years of age have the rights, confidence and environment in which they can make choices, express their views, and communicate effectively with other children and adults. George says, “We desire they can grow to be the best citizens of this country.”

MENTORING KIDS

George is a recognized expert in the field of human engineering and development. He enjoys communicating to children and teenagers and mentoring them. He has spoken at several online and offline platforms in over 33 countries and 200+ cities reaching over half a million kids and teens in more than 150+ different educational contexts over a span of 28 years. George has worked with others in the training and developmental field to formulate programs on life skills, a valuable education for schools, as well as youth/children camps. When he speaks to young audiences he uses talents like singing, acting, miming and ventriloquism to connect with kids. He is often called “Uncle George” by adolescents across the world. His desire is to see the next generation “deeply rooted, redeemed, and released into their destiny through intentional mentoring and motivation.”

For more information regarding George Ebenezer's organization, please visit: Santhosa Samsara.