OUR VISION
Children from leprosy affected families in India, flourish, and lead healthy, happy, productive and dignified lives.
OUR MISSION
Udayan breaks the cycle of intergenerational leprosy. We empower the children of leprosy affected families, by providing a safe space to grow, learn and become self reliant. Through education, personality development and pathways to livelihood, we enable these children and their families to ‘rise above leprosy.’
ABOUT US
UDAYAN a residential centre for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients’ children was founded by Revd. J.G.Stevens,OBE on March 25th 1970. The project is a non – government organization working towards the care and development of children with a leprosy background.
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The name UDAYAN means rising, and for the 300 children who call it home, UDAYAN does indeed represent the dawning of a new life for them.
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For over 40 years, UDAYAN has provided love, care and a brighter future to more than seven thousand children and their families, who came from the leprosy colonies, in and around the city of Kolkata in India. What originally started with just eleven children, today caters to 100 girls and 200 boys.
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The children here range from 4 to 18 years of age, and all have been affected by leprosy in some way, the children come from leprosy affected homes, and have at least one parent who suffers from the disease. About 5% of the children currently at the project suffer from the disease themselves.
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UDAYAN provides children with the opportunity to grow up as children were meant to – free of the scourge of leprosy and its associated poverty, with the chance to learn, play and live life to the fullest. The healthy and peaceful setting of UDAYAN is very different from the environment these children were born in. They leave UDAYAN’s doors with the education and self-confidence necessary to be productive members of society.
