helping Indian street children and destitute families in India

El Shaddia Child Rescue USA

Sponsor an Indian Street Child


El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue is a registered charity based in the USA that raises funds and provides support for efforts by Indian NGO's that work to alleviate the plight of Indian street children and destitute families in the subcontinent of India. El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue USA works closely with El Shaddai Charitable Trust, which is a registered, non-profit charity working in Goa and other states in India.

Implementing the Child Rights Act 2003/05 for orphans, Indian street children and children coming from economically desperate conditions. El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue USA and El Shaddai Charitable Trust strive to provide shelter, food, clothing, education, and health care for orphaned/abandoned street children and impoverished/underprivileged families and slum communities. It has now been calculated that feeding and providing residence for one child now costs $45 per month.

Programs sponsored by El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue USA and implemented by our Indian partners, most notably El Shaddai Charitable Trust target at risk children including:
• Orphans
• Children and destitute families living in high risk slum environments
• Children coming from economically desperate backgrounds
• Children whose parents suffer from terminal illness/disease
• Children of underprivileged migrants
• Runaways (Children)
• Terminally ill children

To serve the needs of these children we sponsor residential homes, community outreach centers, medical outreach and a children's cottage hospital, and broad ranging educational programs in Goa and several other states in India.

For more than a decade the emphasis of programs administered by El Shaddai Charitable Trust has been to place at-risk children in homes maintained by El Shaddai Charitable Trust in Goa. Children resident in the ESCT (El Shaddai Charitable Trust) homes include boys and girls who range from two years to late teenage, with no regard to their religious beliefs or social status. In Goa ESCT operates several residential homes including:

• House of Kathleen, Assasgao, houses up to sixty children of both sexes ranging in age from 2 to 6
• Rainbow House, Assagao, houses up to fifty girls ranging in age from 7 years and up
• Rainbow’s End, Assagao, houses up to ten girls at least 16 years of age
• House of Norma, housing up to thirty girls ranging in age from 7 years and up
• Victory House, Saligao, houses up to sixty boys 7 to 12 years of age
• Shekinah House, Assagao, houses fifty boys ranging in age from 12 years and up
• Laurel Cottage, Assagao, houses ten "senior", academically strong boys

A recent innovation has been the development of a child sponsorship support program that will enable children to remain at their home in their family unit. In addition to allowing the Indian street children to live in a familiar and nurturing family setting, this arrangement reduces the pressure on the residential housing program. Moreover because this approach necessitates the development of locally based educational and child care programming, it fosters growth and strengthening of social and economic infrastructure in slum communities that have previously been fragmented and underserved.

Success Stories
El Shaddai Charitable Trust was founded in 1997 by Anita Edgar and Matthew Kurian. Dean and Helen Oyen began working with Anita and Matthew in 2007 and founded El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue USA in 2010. Over the years Helen and Dean and ESCT staff have seen boys and girls who were first rescued from the streets, poverty and ignorance as small children grow and mature into responsible young adults.

With assistance from El Shaddai Indian Street Child Rescue, El Shaddai Charitable Trust has been able to provide children under their care with knowledge, life skills, and experience that have enabled them to escape from the endless cycles of poverty and ignorance that continue to entrap millions of slum children and destitute families in India. To date El Shaddai Charitable Trust has served more than 4000 children, of which:

• 200 live in ESCT residential homes in Goa
• 200 are enrolled in educational programs offered by Shanti Niketan non-formal school
• 370 take part in "balwadi" pre-school programs provided by community outreach slum schools
• 2,000 are provided food, clothing, and nurturing in safe environments
• Rehabilitative and life-saving medical treatment has been provided to 7 children
• 85 have matriculated from Shanti Niketan Non-formal School and satisfactorily performed on state-based examinations
• 55 Shanti Niketan students have been mainstreamed into state/private formal schools of secondary education
• 25 former students are enrolled in or have completed higher studies, vocational training or professional courses
• 40 children who passed through programs sponsored by ESCT are gainfully employed and no longer reside in slum or destitute environments
• 10 ESCT children, now young adults, hold positions of responsibility in ESCT operations

Your contributions
Charities like El Shaddai Charitable Trust receive very little government support for their activities. Consequently, the continued success of ESCT and EISCRUSA in providing care and hope for slum children and disadvantaged, destitute families in India heavily depends on donations from people like you. Your contributions help cover costs in many areas including:

• Housing
• Clothing
• Food
Education
• Health care
• Residential care
• Medical facilities (basic and specialised)
• Holistic growth of children
• Family support through regular visits, counseling and family planning by field workers
• Health, hygiene and healthy eating programs
• Professional training and schooling
• Technical training
• Apprenticeship and job training / placement

Wouldn't you like to give Indian street children the opportunity to have a childhood and a better future?


Why Help Us?

El Shaddia Indian Street Child Rescue USA (EISCR USA) is a registered charity created to raise funds and provides support for efforts by Indian NGO's directed at alleviating the plight of Indian slum children and destitute families in India.