Saranaalayam,Tirunelveli

The word ‘Saranalayam’ means sanctuary in tamil. ‘Saranalayam’ was started in 1993 to intervene in the issue of stree children, thrown away babies, destitute women who strand at the streets of Thirunelveli Town, one among the southern most districts in Tamil Nadu State, India Saranalayam’ is one of the development units of Tirunelveli Social Service Society. HISTORY ******* Tirunelveli Social Service Society has been actively engaged in the development of child labour since 1985. While working with the target people for the development of child labour in the villages, we faced the problem of run-away children in the villages. These children were found in the district head quarters in Tirunelveli. These children are known as street children, and these children are those who made the street as their home, living on their earning, eating and breeding on the streets. These children used to live on pavements with out any one to take care of them. From our initial survey we found quite many children on the streets. Tirunelveli Social Service Society as a development organization which showed a special interest in child labour took up the cause of street children also. The aim of this programme is to prevent and rehabilitate the street children who are living on the streets and the pavements. The rehabilitation centre provides shelter for the abandoned, deprived and destitute who are on the streets. The centre tries to rehabilitate these children by various measures like home placement, formal school placement, Technical school placement, job placement and skill development.