Shalom home for children:

A place of rest and peace.

The smile that you give will return to you. (Indian saying)

“The smile that you give will return to you.” (Indian saying)

The Shalom Home for Children (run by Shalom Foundation) is located in Vellore, a big city about 120 kilometers to the west of Chennai. Here, 20 boys from 10 to 16 receive everything that is required for a healthy development: a solid education, food, clothing and care. The days at Shalom have their own unique structure, formed by several rituals like for example doing housework together or reading stories from the bible. The loving atmosphere can be felt all over the house. Children laugh together but they also feel free to talk about painful memories. Many children who belong to Shalom Home are orphans and have lost their parents in a tragic way.

At Shalom they find comfort, rest, support and everything they need to start again. And they find someone who listens to them. These boys open their hearts to Jayapaul and his staff, sharing about their traumatic childhood, their cares and sorrows. As many of them share the same fate, deep and sometimes lifelong friendship grow between them.