Jayapaul:
Founding father of Shalom Foundation.

Gandhi was born on 2^nd October whereas Jayapaul was born on 1^st October. His mother became a widow very early. She never had the opportunity to go to school but when she was an adult, she taught herself to read with the help of a bible. Day by day she sold baskets which she made out of palm leaves to earn a living for her and her four children. When the family got in touch with a German relief organization called “Kindernothilfe” (Emergency help for children), everything changed. Jayapaul’s mother got a job as a housekeeper in the family of Lüder Lüers, a pioneer who worked with the relief organization. All her children could go to school and later on, to university. After several stays abroad, Jayapaul came back and agreed to become one of the leaders of the “Kindernothilfe” for South India. One day however, he and his friends decided to start a new Indian relief organization for children. His dream was a place where needy children could find a new home in a caring community: the Shalom Foundation. For twenty years he has been helping children whose stories are pretty much similar to his own: they are orphans, they are poor and they are eager to learn for the chance of a better future.