In 2005, we bought a beautiful piece of land at the foot of the holy mountain Arunachala in Triuvannamalai on which seven houses for orphans and streetkids have been built. Each house has become the new home of seven to nine kids and a housmom. The cooking is done in a small kitchen building so that in the houses the women can focus solely on caring for the kids.

Some of the little ones come from the area affected by the tsunami, the other children come from Tiruvannamalai or the surrounding villages, where the living conditions are partly extremely bad. Most children are (half-) orphans or have been abandoned by their parents.

It is our vision to give a happy childhood and the feeling of being safe and loved to the kids who need it most. When we chose our kids we were confronted with destinies which moved us deeply and which show very clearly that there is a huge number of kids in India who need a home and whose bodies and minds need to be nourished.

A huge thank you goes to all those people who have made it possible to build these heartkids homes.

Every day between 5 and 8 p.m. about 150 kids aged 4 to 18 come together. They receive tutoring free of charge, do their homework with our assistance, learn English, draw – or just enjoy being together. Without such private promotion hardly any child in a state school gets the chance to advance. The majority of these kids comes from poor backgrounds and really enjoys to leave their mostly sad surroundings for a few hours each day - most of them live in simple huts without running water and electricity.

 

The daily contact to the kids allows us to meet their individual needs and to support them directly and in a sensible way. The kids are provided with school materials, school uniforms, clothes and medicines; in the rainy season we replace leaky hut roofs.

 

However, it is not only material things that make kid’s eyes glow but especially the colourful, vivid and free get-together beyond the caste system or a particular religion.

 

During the day, the smallest heartkids are at our kindergarten where they are not only cared for but also get a cooked lunch, among other things.

 

The Heartkids Center Tiruvannamalai on Google Map

New Planned Project

Next to the Kidcenter Tiruvanamalai, a plot is waiting to be used in a sensible way.

Together with the dedicated Doctor Clara Perinchery we are dreaming of a “Heartkids Education Center” , which is to provide young people with a background of severe poverty a future perspective.

What will be taught at the “Heartkid Education Center”

-          Computer classes with approved degree

-          Tailoring classes

-          Handicraft classes

-          Education in health and hygiene

-          Education in nutrition for mothers/parents

What is still needed:

-          a building (cost about € 10,000)

-          second hand laptops (about 30)

-          transport of the laptops (who is going to India and could take one with them?)

-          sowing machines (about 20 at € 80 each)

-          teachers to give workshops (e.g. handicraft…)

Contact: Clara Perinchery: cperinchery(at)yahoo.de

Background of the Project:

With this new facility, we want to adress especially young women, although young men are equally welcome.

For women in India, education is not common at all, often it is the only aim of the parents to get their daughter married as fast as possible. After their arranged marriage, these young women move into the household of the husband’s parents. They are  expected to dedicate themselves to the family life and are dependent throughout their lives on their husband - no matter how they are being treated. Therefore, education is one of the most important steps for these women to live a self-determined life.

One young woman has stated it in a very touching way: With tears in her eyes, she pressed her school books to her chest and said: “This is my future, not my marriage”!

For donation by bank transfer please use the keyword “Education Center”!