Shanti Lumin Home
History and Description
The Shanti Lumin Welcome Home was created in 1993 thanks to Maria Rayappan, originally from Kanji, back from a 20 year stay in England. Touched by poverty and domestic violence, she decides to take in children abandoned by their families and offer them a better future. It is in a branch hut funded by former English colleagues that Shanti Lumin was born outside the village, about 4 km from the Saint Antony school.
Today, although spartan but functional, the buildings provide an adequate environment and are installed on a plot of one hectare, which includes a vegetable patch and a large play area.
Shanti Lumin welcomes around fifty girls from 4 to 16 years old. The residents come from surrounding villages whose families cannot provide for their education. These girls have witnessed or suffered trauma related to violence, lack of parents or extreme poverty. It is about providing them with a stable and warm environment and a psychological and material support which will allow them to heal the wounds of their past and prepare them for a better future. This includes quality schooling in a serene environment.
Upon arrival, residents attend a Tamil school because their knowledge of English is insufficient. However, specific courses in English are organized to enable them, if they reach a sufficient level, to join the Saint Antony school.
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