Case2-March-2014
Karunai Illam, at Nilakottai was initiated by a compassionate tourist from Netherland, Ms.Jean Watson who came on a soul searching exercise to India. The partnership with DHAN for management support happened in 2007, and since then DHAN Karunai illam diversified its activities. The DHAN Karunai Illam for destitute and orphan children, Karunai-DHAN Nursery and Primary School and Life center that provides skill trainings meets the needs of the children and youth in Nilakottai.
Jean Watson, who came to India from New Zealand, thirty years ago in 1984 as a tourist in a soul searching process, found that her life had a definite purpose of serving deprived and orphan children in India. During her travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, she visited Gandhiji-Kasturibaji Children’s home where she got the acquaintance of the couple Mr.Subbaiah and Ms.Mariyamma. Jean came back once again in 1987 for a stay in Kanyakumari during which the couple expressed that they were moving to their native place Nilakottai, in Dindukal District and requested Jean also to visit the place. Jean so visited Nilakottai for the first time in 1987, without knowing that the place was going to be a part of her life for the rest of the years.
During the visit, many women who saw her rushed and a woman enquired Subbaiah something in Tamil. When Jean wondered what they are so curious about Mr.Subbaiah replied that “The woman enquired whether you are a Doctor, since she her baby is Sick.” Jean felt sorry for mot being a Doctor during which Mr.Subbaiah expressed that there are many orphan and destitute children in and around Nilakottai, but there is no home to support them.
Jean did not hesitate and said Subbaiah “ We can start a Children’s Home. You start the work for the same in Nilakottai and meanwhile I will go back to New Zealand to arrange funds for the same. Thus the seed for Karunai Illam was sown and it was initiated in 25th September, 1987 with seven children in a rented house.
Jean initially supported the Illam by contributing her own money and later as the Illam and its needs grew, she formed Karunai Illam Trust ((KIT) at New Zealand which started sourcing fund for the Illam. Later in 2006 problems begin to crop up since Mr.Subbaiah and his associates started acting with vested interest. Jean who got worried and suspicious investigated the issue and decided to seek the support of another NGO which can take over the Illam and run. She came to know about DHAN Foundation in Madurai and contacted them through email. DHAN came forward to extend its support and thus the new partnership got established. DHAN Karunai Illam was thus formed in 2007.
What started as a Children’s home, later extended to establish a skill training centre (LIFE centre- Livelihood enhancement through functional education) for the local and also a school.
The vision of Karunai Illam is to free young and disadvantaged people from the limitations of poverty and ignorance so that they can find satisfaction and enrichment in their lives and express their full potential.
Karunai illam currently offers following services to the local community
The Karunai illam which started with just seven children currently has forty-three children. The deserving children are chosen through strict screening process. The criteria employed for the selection process are
The admission process is done in the months of April- May every year. Food and accommodation is given at free of cost to the children. Education is given to them through private or government aided schools. Karunai Illam Trust supports for funding and local donations are also encouraged.
The children were given balanced nutritious foods and inclusion of small millets in the diet for enhanced nutrition is done. There will be a daily morning prayer, reading and sharing among the children. The children were also exposed to other activities like building their cultural talents viz. dance, music and folk art and they used to conduct their own cultural event once in a month. Training on arts to enhance their creative skills are also provided.
A yearly camp is also organized for them during which training on Yoga, Health and hygiene, Heritage walk, Career Counseling and agricultural training were given. The children are also given opportunity to expose their talent during the camp. The boys and girls have separate hostel facilities and a separate caretaker. The accommodation was earlier done in a small place with thatched roof which was upgraded to tinned roof later. For providing accommodation to the poor children a building was purchased in 1991. The facilities in the house were improved later toilets, bathrooms and dining hall coming into place. The Kitchen got completely rebuilt to suit the needs of the Illam. The girl children were presently housed here. A separate building was constructed for boys hostel.
By 2003-04 an additional plot was purchased opposite to the illam in which two large dormitories and care-givers room on a second storey was constructed which housed the boys. Toilets and bathrooms are also constructed. Later the boys hostel was constructed in a coconut grove owned by the Illam. Presently the boys are residing in the newly constructed illam. The boys hostel was converted in Karunai-Dhan Nursery school by 6th June,2008.
This school was initiated during the year 2008-2010. This is a activity based rural model school where Play-way method of learning was implemented which sustains the interest of students and facilitates better learning. The school currently as twenty employees with Mr.Ragavan, managing the school. A nominal fee is charged for the students and currently there are 270 students enrolled. The school is now self-sustained. A new building for the school was constructed in the year 2011-12 for the school and there is a plan for constructing additional classrooms
The center for Livelihood enhancement through functional education (LIFE) was inaugurated in the DHAN Karunai Illam premises itself by 10th September,2010 by Ms.Vasugi, the District Collector, Dindugal, in the presence of Ms.Jean Watson, Mr.M.P.Vasimalai, Executive Director of DHAN Foundation and Stree Sakthi Purashkar Chinnapillai, Kalanjiam Mutual Movement. The center so far has offered many courses of which three courses are held regularly and the other on need basis.
The following skill trainings are offered:
Jewelry making; Mobile phone repair; Mushroom cultivation; Jam/Jelly preparation; Simple chemicals; Bags-handbags and others. Government certified trainers were employed for giving training on above skills. Apart from this there are four regular staffs for this center. A nominal charge is done for all these trainings. Apart from this fund support for this center has come through various schemes and organizations like NABARD, Modular Education scheme, Canara Bank and ICDS. Yearly four hundred to five hundred students get trained through this center. So far 2500 persons were trained on various activities through this center. The center is now self-sustainable and able to meet its running cost.
The generosity and charitable mind of Jean Watson, led to the growth of this institution over years into a full fledged home for poor and orphaned children. However the Illam encountered a problem when her local associates running the home started misappropriating the funds.
Jean dissolved the partnership and later roped in DHAN Foundation as a partnering NGO. The illam which was functioning as Mahatma Karunai Illam was rechristened as DHAN-Karunai Illam.
The Karunai Illam has enabled many children to go far higher studies and settle in respectable jobs. The silver jubilee function of the Illam held in September, 2012 held symbolizes that the Karunai Illam will continue to support more children in the coming years in its way towards the Golden jubilee function.
Jean rendered the financial support for this organization individually and later roped in many of her friends and associates in New Zealand. They operate in the name of Karunai Illam Trust and provide continued support and assistance.
DHAN Karunai Illam is now under the process of constructing a unified hostel building for boys and girls for which the foundation stone was laid in October 2013. Their new local partner DHAN Foundation has been rendering all their support and guiding them for new initiatives. Karunai Illam will continue to shower its love and affection, for the poor and orphaned children.