Home for Isolated Mothers

This program is SPEED Trust’s latest project, undertaken at the beginning of 2005. The concept is to set up in Chennai a home for isolated mothers and grand-mothers who, as a consequence of the 26th December 2004 tsunami, have been left with their children to live in a pitiful state of poverty. The objectives of this program are as follows:

• To maintain the bondage between (grand) mothers and (grand) children and to prevent these (grand) mothers from deserting their (grand) children in orphanages. To restore in them a sense of dignity, self-confidence and hope in the future.
• To allow these mothers to send back their children to school and to satisfy all their basic needs while leading remunerative activities.
• To provide these women with a range of trainings and workshops (manufacturing of toys or candles, sewing, hand-knitting, hair-cutting, etc.), enabling them to earn their own living as soon as possible.
• To offer night-time shelter for children whose parents are suffering from contagious diseases (tuberculosis), at least during the course of crucial treatment.

Moreover, a day-time creche (balwadi) will be set into the home to allow other isolated mothers to leave their youngest children under the care of a qualified educator, thus enabling them to lead a remunerative activity. The balwadi will welcome daily 15 to 20 young children.

As sufficient funds have been met, the realization of the project is currently under progress.