OUR PROJECT:
HOW ?
Together with you and our local partner we aim to have a direct positive impact on the student’s livelihood at a local level, therefore helping and maintaining them meeting their basic needs on the long term as well as giving them future satisfaction with their lives through a good quality of education, comfortable housing, satisfying meals every day, medical consultations, safety and of course psychological support if needed. We do not impose anything, we simply advise the students.
To do this, we identify individuals too poor to study but are too modest to ask. These include: children, teenagers and young adults (both women and men) either homeless, orphan, living with a single parent, living with another single family member or living with both parents. Basically we target everyone in need for education.
We will make sure the young Indians willing to study are serious and committed to finish a complete training or degree program in any university/professional school around the state of Tamil Nadu.
We are helping honest and hard-working young ones with their application and we help them being accepted as a first step. Our local partners are working hard to make sure the future students will make good use of the financial support we give them one they are admitted to their schools. And of course we assure an organized follow-up every year on how students progress in their academic program.
Our supporters and donors must understand that we work on a case-by-case basis methodology focusing on authenticity and merit for each student. For now we wish to stay a small association but achieving real concrete results.
MAINTENANCE
We are committed on the long-term to the orphans’ daily care and the guarantee of their basic needs: Loving care & Housing, Food, Health, Safety, Psychological Support and Access to Education.
This will enable them to grow in favourable conditions and access a bright future.
Education
The importance of good quality and serious education as well as ethical and qualified teachers. Also, the student should feel satisfied with the studies he chose and we make sure he/she has the appropriate level to start the degree/training program of his/her dreams.
Housing
The importance of a safe and comfortable place to sleep either in the college/school hostel or in a healthy relative's home. Having access to a bed and a minimum space to live in is crucial for the students
Nutrition
We make sure the student has access up to 2-3 meals per day (with water or other beverages of course). We believe that a stable and healthy nutrition is a necessity while studying for a significant amount of time.
Health
The importance to have access to basic medical consultations and check-ups and help with any health issues of whatsoever. Basic medications also need to be accessible in the case of an emergency.
Safety
Feeling safe is to us one of the most necessary aspect of a healthy lifestyle for the young students we help. As an association and with our local partners, we can help the student finding safety in his/her life if it is not occurring.
Support
We wish to bring motivation and inspiration by spending quality time with each student if needed. We advise, we listen and we try to understand each individual need. We use our negotiation skills in order to find the best solution and/or compromises between the individual's dreams and the concessions/efforts needed to achieve them.
WHY ?
The lack of access to education, the hard living conditions and the lack of parental care (abandoned by parents, from too poor families or from runaway parents) of children are great challenges faced by the population of Tamil Nadu in the south of India. Particularly young teenagers, young adults and destitute women that have difficulties to finance their studies or training programs in order to achieve their long-term dreams.
Poverty in India affects and puts limitation to the lives of young and motivated individuals willing to study seriously. We therefore aim to work with the local community and provide each individual with a choice of studies, a safe place to stay and call it home as well as meeting with all their basic needs while studying. We offer our support to the students in any way they want if they ask for our help. We act as their 'temporary parent'.
Our focus is aiming at the protection for the next Indian generation as they are facing an increasing endangered world where poverty rapidly leads to living in the streets as homeless teens where survival options often involve gang memberships, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, alcoholism, poaching and wildlife trafficking, forced labor, prostitution, sex slavery, organs trafficking, shoplifting, gender-based violences (such as domestic violence, rape, physical & emotional abuse, abduction, kidnappings, forced marriage of 'young brides' & dowry murders) and any other criminal activities or street violences there are. They are also victims of police abuse and killings. Poverty and the lack of education and knowledge makes the Indian youth extremely vulnerable to these dangers. Their chances to be mentally ill is also higher for street teens.
We also believe in the power of education of teenagers as knowledge increases the respect for gender equality and decreases the mentality and perception that women are the property of men (gender inequality is still an issue in India today).
We realized there was a gap as there is no support system nor government policies for the young generation in India in general. Some orphans are taken cared off because of the many orphanages and foster homes that are opened and controlled by the government in the country. But what happens once they turn 18 and they are forces to leave (by India law) ? What about that period of their lives? Who guides them about their future? Basically their forced departure = being abandoned again to becoming street teenagers. They have no identity, no contacts, no support and no money.
These were the crucial questions we have asked ourselves and they created our drive and motivation to created this association !
THE PROBLEM IN 2020 IN STATISTICS...
20 million (Source: SOS Children's Village Charity)
Orphan/Homeless children in India (97% of them have at least 1 living parent but is too poor to take care of them).
1.2 million
(Source: World's Children.org)
Homeless teenagers that are sex slaves once they leave orphanages (40% of them are under 18).
1.77 million
(Source: Homeless World Cup Foundation)
Homeless adults that are living in India.
62'000 (Source: Times of India.com)
Orphans in Tamil Nadu today that are placed by the government in child care institutions/orphanages.