Children's Village
Our Home is constructing a sustainable children’s village on 4.5 acres of fertile land in the highlands of Kerala’s Wayanad province in Southern India. It is striving to form an economically productive community committed to family, education and social responsibility. Our Home provides a permanent family environment for 45 homeless and orphaned children. It is different from existing orphanages because it celebrates the individuality of each child, nurtures their imagination and provides an optimistic and safe upbringing.
In 2010, an old building was renovated to provide a temporary home for the girls. Prior to this the children lived in rented accommodation in several different locations, so there was much excitement when the girls were able to move into their own home and start their new lives together.
The new boy’s home has been under construction for the past 12 months and is almost complete. Delays due to rain and lack of finance have held this project back. The boys moved into their new home in April 2012 although there is still a little work to be done before it is complete. The boys have spent the last 10 years living in makeshift accommodation so they are extremely happy with their new home.
A communal dining hall has also been erected on the site. The kitchen still needs to be installed and the plumbing and electricity needs to be sorted. At present it is used as a play area during the rainy reason and extra classroom when needed.
The next construction planned is the new girl’s home. Land has been cleared behind their existing home and construction is due to start soon. The start up money for this has come from a fundraiser held by friends of Our Home in Switzerland. Without their help the new home would be a long way off.