From Germany With Love: How Varun Supports AFJS Trust from Abroad

When Varun Gonsalves moved to Germany, he carried Bhavnagar with him.

Not just in memory, but in the daily weight of knowing that the children he'd grown up alongside were still navigating a world that hadn't gotten any easier.

A Different Kind of Distance Varun and I have been friends since childhood. We attended the same church, played in the same lanes, and shared a front-row view of the inequality that runs through Bhavnagar's communities. Not dramatic, cinematic poverty, just the quiet, grinding kind. Children who couldn't afford notebooks. Families that skipped meals. Girls who disappeared from school quietly, without announcement, and were never spoken of again.

When Varun moved to Germany for work, that shared history didn't dissolve. If anything, distance made it sharper.

What Distance Makes Possible There are things Varun can do from Germany that I cannot do from Bhavnagar, and vice versa. He has been instrumental in:

• Connecting AFJS Trust with the Indian diaspora in Europe: Many NRIs want to give back but don't know trustworthy channels. Varun is that personal connection.
• Raising awareness internationally: The story of an Indian NGO, told by someone who grew up there and now lives in Europe, resonates with audiences that our social media alone cannot reach.
• Providing strategic and financial support: Varun has personally contributed to our funding in the early, difficult months when every rupee mattered enormously.

What He Tells People When Varun talks about AFJS Trust, he doesn't use the language of charity. He talks about responsibility. He says: "These are our people. These are the kids from our lanes. We didn't escape poverty. We were lucky. Lucky looks a lot like privilege when you're the one who didn't make it out."

That perspective is the soul of what we do.

Supporting From Anywhere in the World You don't have to be in Bhavnagar, or even in India, to support AFJS Trust. Varun's example shows that geography is no barrier to impact.

If you want to donate from abroad, visit joyfullsmiles.org/donate. And if you want to connect with our international community, reach out via WhatsApp or email. We'll be glad to hear from you.