WHAT DID WE ACHIEVE AT THE HOUSE OF HOPE?

Starting this orphanage back in 2007 was no easy task. Since the community did not want to welcome such children, Dr. Raja had to plead to several landlords to get grant for a piece of land to start the school. Today, the orphanage has moved to its own place with four blocks of construction - one serves as a clinic to attend the children, one is the school/administrative block, the other two are the boys’ and girls’ hostels. Realising the good efforts put in by Dr. Raja, the community has developed an understanding of this deadly disease and has welcomed the children. In fact, looking at the success of the children’s performance, many parents want to send their normal/healthy children to this school.

HUT has made a tremendous difference by starting a home and school for stigmatised children, and by successfully integrating the graduate children into mainstream society. The students from our school have earned several awards at District-level competitions, often attended by senior District Administrative Officers. The eldest child at our home came to the House of Hope when he was orphaned while studying in II grade. Today, he is doing his Diploma in mechanical Engineering. Three other students have joined Government Polytechnic College for Diploma Engineering and one student has joined bachelor’s degree program in Commerce last year. (2015-16).  Our Students have put up a result of 100% pass rate consequently for the past three years Not on this, our kids do well in the public examination conducted by the government (a common examination for all the students from all the schools).

WHAT MAKES OUR WORK EXCEPTIONAL AND UNIQUE?

In India, one of the most important and yet underrated aspects in fighting HIV/AIDS is the stigma associated with the disease. The stigma keeps children, who otherwise could have lived a dignified life, out of the societal periphery. We have managed to integrate these children with the rest of the world by providing them education, which likely may have eluded them – And that makes HUT’s endeavour worthwhile and unique. In the past 10 years, the organisation has managed to integrate 22 children in regular schools. 

Dr. Raja, who is a qualified diabetologist, left a very lucrative and successful private practice to devoted himself full-time into helping these 100 children living at ‘House of Hope’. Together, Dr. Raja and Dr. Indhra have treated more than 3000 AIDS patients at our hospital.

Approximately 72% of children affected by AIDS in Tamil Nadu are reportedly underweight. At Hut, we make sure to provide both education and good health to the children in need. Since 2007, the organisation has managed to bring 87 underweight and unhealthy children back to good health.

The success of this organisation lies in the trust that the at-risk community of Tamil Nadu places on them. Marginalised communities of transgenders or sex-workers now depend on HUT, in case they or their children get infected with the disease.  Despite a cut in funding by state authorities for AIDS recently, we have managed to provide a consistent level of care for all the children.