St Antony's Foundlings

St Antony’s Foundlings, founded in 1991, is the sister charity of The Kanji Project.
Maria Rayappan, its President, has been instrumental in its development since its foundation in 1993 (read more about Maria’s story here). In the early days, Maria cared for and educated 10 orphans in a small hut. More children were taken in and the hut began to fall down. With a generous gift from a supporter in the UK, Maria bought some land and built a small school which initially took in 160 village children. The orphans were eventually accommodated in a hostel named Shanthi Lumin (Home of Peace and Light) situated 2 km distance from the school. The population of both the school and the hostel has grown dramatically over the years. From the outset, Maria has been strongly supported by her nephew, Lourdusamy Michael, who is the Director of St Antony’s School which now numbers over 1000 pupils.
Both St Antony’s School and Shanthi Lumin have contributed to the well-being and education of thousands of village children, many of whom go on to further education, a vindication of Maria’s strong belief that this can provide a way for disadvantaged children to escape the trap of poverty.
Over the years, St Antony’s Foundlings has expanded its work to provide food, clothing blankets, medical aid and house repairs, for those in extreme need.
St Antony’s Foundlings is managed by trustees and staff representatives. The Kanji Agreement is a document that outlines the relationship between our two charities. Communication between SAF and TKP is excellent, with Lourdusamy attending some of our UK trustee meetings online.