Meet Aravindan

Aravindan lives in a remote hamlet of Sirukappatti, the nearest town is of a distance of 12 kms in the State of Tamil Nadu south India. In his home region there is very little infrastructure, with no roads and only a dirt track leading up to his mud brick house.

Aravindan belongs to one of the lowest castes recognised by the Indian Government, the Valaiyars caste. Notable attributes of the hamlet are high levels of illiteracy, child labour and child marriages. Occupation, if extremely fortunate, is seasonal agricultural labour.

Aravindan was very young when his father died of a protracted mental illness, leaving his mother a widow at the young age of 35. He lives with his sister Sangeetha and widowed mother, in a very small dilapidated dwelling. His mother Subbu is illiterate and earns a living as a seasonal agricultural labourer. His sister Sangeetha, was also a beneficiary of the child sponsorship programme. We supported her schooling through to College. After successfully gaining a Diploma in Nursing, she now works as a Nurse in a local hospital.

Thirteen years ago, both brother and sister were breaking rocks with their bare hands in a local quarry, (to help support their widowed mother) and were destined for a life of drudgery and bonded labour. Through our intervention, we have helped to turn the siblings’ lives around. 

When Aravindan started school his aspiration was to become a Mechanical Engineer. He excelled at School and was accepted to study B.E. Mechanical Engineering at MIET Engineering College in the City of Thiruchirappalli. 

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For over thirteen years we guided and counselled Aravindan (and his sister), assigned a Mentor and met all costs related to his schooling from Primary School through to University. Aravindan, rigorously applied himself to his studies combining academic life with extra-curricular activities.  He excelled in both and achieved a first class degree in 2019!

Prior to his graduation he participated in a number of Campus interviews with prospective Corporates and was offered two positions before sitting his finals. He accepted a technical post with a leading company in Chennai and has relocated to the city. His graduation ceremony is later in 2020.   A fantastic achievement and as a result of his new position Aravindan can now support his mother and is a role model and mentor for other children in the village.

We are delighted to have helped make Aravindan’s dream a reality, moving him from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity. He now acts as an Ambassador for our work and mentors and inspires other children who find themselves in a similar predicament.