Day Care Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
One of our first outreaches was into a big slum area in Besant Nagar when that southern part of Chennai was hardly developed. Though the area today is considered an ‘upcoming’ part of town, there are still pockets of slum areas – and lots of people in very bad living conditions. Our Thideernagar Day Care Center has been a support to literally thousands of children and hundreds of families over the years – and still cares for up to 110 children aged between 2-5 years.
- a place to go to and play/stay in safety
- basic health, discipline and hygiene awareness training
- training to listen and respect each other
- dignity and recognition
- motherly care and affection (some of our staff have been serving there for 25+ years!)
- help and advice for the parents if neded (and especially many mothers are open to that)
- a full and healthy meal every day
Boys Home in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh
Our Child Care activities in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, approx. 150 km north of Chennai, started in 1983 with the running of a home for orphaned and destitute boys. Over the past 30 years, hundreds of lives have been changed to a meaningful existence. Initially, a Dutch businessman gave funds for the spacious building and compound, later the children received their support from Inter-Mission Germany and Inter-Mission UK. The home had up to 70 boys living in comfortable accommodation, and much care is always taken to meet the individual needs of the children.
For a number of years in the 1990/2000’s a training centre was added and became a training ground for boys of the home and others from Nellore and further afield in Andhra Pradesh. Computer classes, tailoring courses and – on another nearby location – carpentry training was offered and hundreds of young men and women been trained and equipped.
Young men of our alumni, groups from the UK and Switzerland occasionally helped in improving the living conditions in the home. It has been quite a unique experience for everybody concerned to see ‘foreigners’ and locals, young and old, volunteers and experienced painters, male and female, put their hands together to refining infrastructure – and services. This is part of our aim and vision for this centre: To invite other services to come alongside and help us serve the needy community.