Presentation
During the nineties, Pondicherry, like many cities around the world, became a place where many children and teenagers are in danger: having fled domestic violence or rejected by their families too poor to support them or they ran away, lured by the mirage of the city and the hope of an easy life. Often their parents are themselves living on the pavements of the city.
Left to themselves without any protection, these children live, doing odd jobs (“rickshaw wallas”, ”coolies”, waiters in small restaurants etc), exploited and without any hope of a better life. They are easy prey, from their very young age, for the addicts of sex tourism: rape, prostitution, drugs or alcohol. Pimping is a frequent risk and there is indifference from the rest of the society. The elder boys, who already experienced the risks of life in the streets, often corrupt the younger ones... and the cycle continues.
For many years, Volontariat wanted to take some action for street children, but lacked an appropriate shelter for a programme.
Then, one day, an opportunity arose when a Franco-Pondicherian who lived at Toulouse and had no intention of returning to India, offered to donate a vacant land that he owned at Pondicherry, at the condition that Volontariat will use it only for the benefit of children. So we started the program Souriya (Sun in Sanskrit), near the Railway station, as a home welcoming the street children, day and night.
Very quickly, many boys came and stayed there, but their proximity led to promiscuity between the elder and younger boys. This was a determining factor for Volontariat to segregate the group and place the young boys at Tuttipakkam farm, along with girls, starting the program Nila Illam (Nila: Moon in Sanskrit).
Souriya building houses also a day crèche for thirty small ones, whose parents are poor and mostly live on the platforms of the city.
