“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” - Albert Einstein

Twenty years ago, a young lad, barely out of his teens began a life of service to abandoned children with intellectual disabilities. He could have pursued a lucrative career or set up his own business – things he saw his friends do, but he chose to follow his heart instead. And his heart was calling him to a life of service to society’s most abused and most vulnerable members. This is our Founder, Iyyappan’s story.

Living in a remote village in Tamil Nadu back in the ’80s, he understood the feeling of rejection early on. His older brother was born with Down syndrome. Growing up, Iyyappan was especially sensitive to the challenges families of children with intellectual disabilities face, including severe social stigma. These challenges sometimes result in children being abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves. Iyyappan decided to do something to help such children. His journey into serving them commenced in 1999 as a Special Educator Trainee at MITHRA, Chennai, when he was just 19 years old. On February 26, 2002, he founded Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust to provide the first home in Chennai dedicated to caring for, protecting and rehabilitating abandoned children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Today, twenty years later, Sri Arunodayam is proving to be the model home that other institutions emulate. The children living here receive nutritious food, safe shelter, clean clothing, timely medical care, and developmentally appropriate education and rehabilitation programs. Most of all, they regain what they have lost – a home and a family.

Iyyappan’s life is a life lived for others. His vision has ignited the hearts of many, including his staff, who walk alongside him on a journey of life that is well worth living. After 20 years of service, we know that no joy can truly equal the joy of serving others, especially, of serving society's most forgotten.

(Click the "Milestones" image below to view our journey more clearly.)

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Sri Arunodayam is a secular organization with zero tolerance for discrimination against children regardless of religion, caste, race, ethnicity, disability or gender.