Hope is brewing in this village in India!
After a devastating landslide wiped out Basheer’s tea shop, he was able to rebuild with the help of Tearfund.
On the misty hills of Chooralmala, India, stood a quaint little tea shop, a gathering spot beloved by the surrounding village.
Shelves were lined with ready-to-brew tea leaves, and a bright mural stretched across one of the old walls. Regular customers would come for their drinks, greeted by the familiar face of the shop owner, Basheer Padinharayil.
This was the rhythm of life that Basheer had known for nearly 30 years. Over decades, he had grown familiar with every neighboring face, each crack in the wall, this place that he had built. This was his livelihood.
Until the rains came.
On July 30, 2024, a massive landslide swept through Chooralmala, destroying Basheer’s tea shop and many homes and shops within the village. He and his family escaped, but when they went back the next morning to survey the damage, they were too shocked to speak. There was nothing left but rubble.
“I never imagined that our town could disappear overnight,” Basheer recalled.
For months after, Basheer struggled. At the age of 66, he had poured half of his life into running this shop. The grief weighed heavily on him, and for a time, he couldn’t bring himself to begin again. Coming back from this felt impossible. He described it as if he had lost a part of himself.
But Basheer was not alone. His neighbours stopped by, bringing words of encouragement, and former regulars reminded him of the value he brought to the community. Friends and family pitched in, and little by little, he began to rebuild—his wife offering to sell some of her possessions, too.
Tearfund’s local partner, EFICOR, played a crucial part in rebuilding by giving him a refrigerator—an essential part of his tea shop. With this, he began to see the shop revitalised, along with his hope.
The community banded together, and soon Basheer was standing behind the counter once again. A new vibrant mural was painted with shades of pink and yellow, and the shop became a village hub once more.
Tearfund partners with organizations like EFICOR to respond when disaster strikes, not just with short-term solutions, but with the bricks needed to rebuild. For Basheer, this gift was not just of an item, but of restored hope—something he thought had long been washed away with the landslides.Â
Join us in thanking God for the ways that he provides not only for physical needs, but also for spiritual and emotional needs, too.