Daddy’s
Home - Care+Share’s
Village for Children - was founded in January 1999 with
the acquisition of 15 acres of land in the village of
Buddavaram. Daddy’s Home is located behind the
Gannavaram airport, approximately 25 kms (15 miles)
away from downtown Vijayawada. Construction began in
May 1999; the first Home was ready for occupancy in
May 2000. Since then, Daddy’s Home has served
as a permanent residence for hundreds of street children
and disabled kids. At present, over 600 children live
and study here. They are cared for by over 100 of our
dedicated staff.
Attending
to the most fundamental needs of children constitutes
an important part of our work at Daddy’s Home.
Individual sponsorships, in fact, cover just that: housing,
food, clothing, and education. Over the years, we have
built 4 homes for girls and 4 homes for boys, a home
for the handicapped, a large cafeteria, a kindergarten,
an infirmary, a barber shop, and a school (grades 1-10)
that educates 850 kids - many of them from the surrounding
villages.
But
Care+Share
does much more than feed, treat, and educate children.
At Daddy’s Home, we allow them to be kids again
and to live in a clean, caring environment where we
as much as possible provide them with the attention
and love typical of a family. They have enough space
to run around, the facilities to play — a soccer
field, a basketball court, a gym, and cricket grounds
— and the chance to express their many talents
through extra-curricular activities such as modern and
traditional dance. Here, giving children happiness,
security, and a sense of belonging represents as much
of a priority as their academic and professional development.
What Has Already Been Done
Homes
for Girls:
We have built 4 homes to house approximately 300 girls.
Rena Home: Completed by
early 2000.
Margaret Home: Inaugurated
in Sept. 2000.
Annie Home: Completed in
Jan. 2002; it houses 60.
Luisiana Home: The last
home was finished in April 2004.
Homes
for Boys:
We have built 4 homes to house approximately 300.
Lake House: Purchased in
2001, it houses 65 of the older boys.
Galliano Home: Completed
in June 2001.
Radiant Home: Inaugurated
in Aug. 2001.
Nonni Biagiotti Home: Completed
in July 2002.
Franco Home: The last home
was finished in October 2002.
Angel
Home:
Construction started in August 1999, but due to the
lack of funding the home wasn’t completed until
2001. Today, the home houses 29 differently abled children
and 35 HIV positive children.
Cafeteria:
It was
completed in 2004. It provides a place where children
eat their meals and snacks, prepared in a large, well-equipped
kitchen.
Sunray
School:
We began building the school in June 2000. Due to the
high costs, construction is still ongoing. Today, the
school - enriched by a science and computer lab - is
almost completed. Over 800 children attend grades 1
through 10 there; moreover, we have recently opened
our kindergarten.
Asha
Kiran: The
two-storey structure serves as infirmary and dispensary.
Playgrounds:
We have several playgrounds at Daddy’s Home. We
have also created a soccer field, volleyball and basketball courts, and a skating rink
by raising and leveling the grounds.
Chicken
Farm and Cattle Sheds:
In July of 2000, we built a shed and bought 400 hatchlings.
The chicken provide fresh eggs and meat on a daily basis.
We also have buffaloes, pigs, sheep, goats, and a fish
pond on the premises to provide the children with fresh
meat and milk.
Printing, Bag Making, Book
Binding, and Tailoring Units: We
have the facilities and equipment that allow us to produce
the textbooks and notebooks used in our school as well in other schools
in the area. In our tailoring and bag-making units, our staff designs
and manufactures school uniforms and book bags.
Shoemaking
lab: Our shoemakers manufacture sandals for each of the 600
kids living in Daddy’s Home.
...
And What Still Needs to be Done
Infrastructure
Production is currently
crammed in the little space that is available in our
tailoring shed. We would like to build a permanent laboratory
beside our book binding unit.
Renovation......................................................................$5000
The children’s homes, which were completed years
ago, periodically require renovation and re-furnishing.
School
Books/notebooks.......
...................................$25×child×year
The book binding unit in Daddy’s Home produces
books and notebooks for the whole village at a low cost.
The unit, however, needs to be continuously stocked
with large quantities of paper.
Teachers’ salaries.........................................$125×36×month
Our school - which educates over 800 kids residing in
Daddy’s Home and in the surrounding villages -
also employs 36 teachers. Teachers earn a monthly salary
of $125.
Sports
Volleyball
court ..............................................................$1200
Soccer field expansion...................................................$4500
Having provided for the children’s basic needs,
our attention has now turned to improving their quality
of life. Sports are integral part of such endeavor.
We are planning to build a simple volleyball court.
In addition, given the growing interest in soccer, we
will be levelling and extending our soccer field so
that more children will be able to practice at the same
time.
Farm
Cows
..................................................................................$600
Water buffaloes ................................................................$600
Sheep...................................................................................$110
Hens ................................................................$2500
for 1000
Chicken shed ...............................................................$12,000
We have established a small farm with cows, turkeys,
water buffaloes, pigs, sheep, and hens to reduce the
funds expended on meat and milk. The rising number of
children under our care at Daddy’s Home, however,
has forced us to purchase a greater number of animals
to satisfy their nutritional needs. We also need to
build a new structure for the turkeys, ducks, rabbits,
and guinea fowls we have recently acquired.
Clothing
Clothes............................................................$900
for 60 sets
Each dormitory in Daddy’s Home houses 60 children.
With only $15, you can buy a child a new set of clothes |
