About Us

Dr. Mareena Mathai is President and Founder of Uplift International Inc.

The mission and vision of Uplift International is to rescue orphans, liberate women, heal the hurting and poor of India, Pakistan and the nations.

Dr. Mareena is an international speaker, author and life coach. Her desire is to see people saved, healed and set free through the power and love of Christ. Dr. Mareena Mathai holds a Ph.D. in Christian Counseling.

At age 19, when Mareena surrendered her life to Jesus Christ, He showed her a vision of rescuing orphans and reading to them in India. It was her mandate from the Lord to rescue and educate abandoned children living in the streets.

The search for a like-minded ministry organization was long and hard. She wanted to find a ministry that would save the children, love them, educate them all the way through college or career. Nearly all organizations in India expect the children to fend for themselves at age 18. This causes most of them to end up back in the streets, live off crime or prostitution brothels for survival.

After decades of waiting, seeking, knocking, praying and searching, Dr. Mareena finally found a ministry partnership for Uplift International in northern India. This partner ministry took Dr. Mareena’s vision one step further. Their vision is to see the rescued orphan educated and cared for all the way into adulthood until each one of them has a family of their own by marriage.

“God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell…”  Psalm 68:6 AMPC