Seventh Star

I spent the weekend at the Seventh Star Home for Destitute Children in Madurandakam, about 2.5 hours from Chennai. It is run by a man named Paul Vijayakumar who has taken in about 37 children who are orphans, semi-orphans, abandoned, destitute, or whose parents have leprosy. The kids range in age from 5 to 19, are super cute, and very respectful. Their English is about as limited as my Tamil, which allowed me to practice my nonverbal communication skills. Paul's 5 year old son is mentally disabled and there is one other girl who has some mental disabilities. In addition, one of the boys is severely physically handicapped.

The facilities at Seventh Star are pretty basic, even by Indian standards. They have two buildings, one of which includes a few rooms for Paul's family. There is a squat toilet in the area where the family lives and a latrine in the courtyard; Paul is currently working on finishing some more latrines. There are no western-type showers; only buckets and taps. Most of the children wash under the faucet in the courtyard. Paul has a very big heart and is trying his best to keep the place running. The LDS humanitarian missionaries here are working with him to start some kind of a business. I was asked to meet with him to talk about his idea of starting a bakery and candle making operation (unfortunately, too many people here mistake me for some kind of an expert or something). What the place really needs is a plan for sustainability (if anyone likes volunteering in difficult living conditions, I'm sure Paul would love to have you).

On Sunday, I attended church with Paul and several of the children at a small congregation housed in a building of another orphanage (Pathway). There were about 10 adults and about 60 youth and children present (most of the youth were the older Pathway children). It was a wonderful experience to be in a church setting surrounded by great youth who are so eager to learn.

As I've visited various orphanages and non-profit organizations in India, Africa, and the U.S., I've often been presented with a difficult dilemma: is it better to donate time, money, and other resources to an organization that has capable, talented leadership and is (usually), consequently, well-capitalized already or to one that is really struggling and could greatly use the extra help. Well-manged operations are more sound administratively, structurally, and financially. In general, they either are or quickly become sustainable. Perpetually struggling organizations, on the other hand, often have much greater relative need. However, organizations that are already sustainable or have the potential to rapidly become so are more likely to efficiently use the resources and to ensure that any investment has a larger positive impact on the desired target group. Not that I currently have many resources to invest, but I'm often left to balance desperate need versus potential greater impact and efficiency. If it were a traditional for-profit enterprise, there would be no question about where I would put my money. Should it be any different in the social sector? What then happens to the disadvantaged group (especially if they are young children) that the unsustainable non-profit was meant to serve?

Seventh Star


The founder, his wife, and some of the children.




Sabitha, a very cute little girl.


Modeling some clothes that my family sent.






Teaching the children to play Uno.




Uno!


Sleeping

More pictures can be found here.