"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."
(Mother Teresa)
It is the love to human beings which is the basis of our work – love beyond the colour of our skin, caste or any religion. Out of this love comes a natural compassion with the poorest of the poor, who live in the streets of India under conditions which nobody in Europe could possibly imagine.
Heartkids e.V. was founded in spring 2004 in Freiburg-Breisgau (Germany) by Judith Retz (*1976) as a charitable organisation, and is mostly active in Tiruvannamalai and its surroundings in Tamil Nadu, South India.
Tiruvannamalai is town at the foot of the holy mountain Arunachala, which became known in Europe mainly through Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), The wisdom and humbleness of this sage still touches many people deeply today.
As in many parts of India poverty is immense and the children are the ones who suffer most under these appalling conditions. More than 20% of the population of Tiruvannamalai live in slum like circumstances.
It is the purpose of our association to support the people in need in south India who are underprivileged and socially disadvantaged.
We accomplish this with different projects and in close collaboration with our Indian partner Heartkids Trust.
Judith Retz spends many months each year there herself to actively accompany all projects and guarantee that donations are used to the best pupose.