Girls' Hostel
Joan's Grace Home

KMH provides care and accommodation to around 100 girls from remote rural villages. This enables the girls to attend a nearby high school and go on to higher education to study for a professional qualification. In the absence of the hostel, the girls would have extremely limited opportunities to pursue secondary and higher education, and no means of escaping the cycle of poverty.

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Joan's Grace Home, Tamil Nadu, India

Name: Kathryn's Mercy Home Trust (UK)
Address: 48 Ditton Road, Surbiton
Telephone: 44 2083902019

The hostel is in a peaceful place outside the town. A walled area provides the girls a safe environment which they share with a group of elderly women. There is a resident watchman and three female wardens. It is a happy and harmonious community in which the girls and women thrive. The girls return to their families in the villages at the end of each school term. Five of the girls are orphans and they live permanently at the hostel. This has become their home and family.

The girls staying in the hostel attend a local high school, where they achieve among the highest marks. The hostel is crucial in providing them the opportunity of a secondary education as there are no schools in the remote villages. Many of the girls go on to further education.

The hostel receives regular visits from Indian District Child Protection officers, who inspect the property and the records. The visit includes a meeting with the hostel management committee, which consists of representatives of the girls, the staff and the local trustees of KMH(India). Reports are reviewed by the trustees of KMH(UK).

The hostel is set in beautiful grounds. Many of the children enjoy the opportunity to help with the gardening, as well as sharing the fruits that they grow, such as citron, mangoes and jackfruit.

Through the work of the projects, the girls go on to higher education and study a variety of different subjects including engineering, nursing and teacher training. 67 village girls are currently supported in further education in college and vocational courses. There are now three trained engineers, seven teachers and five nurses, and some boys who have also been supported by KMH are working in factories. They are now earning themselves and able to support their families.

The three young people pictured here have all had over ten years in the KMH projects, which have provided them with the support and education needed to follow their interests. Two of them are studying nursing and the other one civil engineering at universities, and all three have positive futures. UK sponsors in Esher, Glossop and Lymington have given them this opportunity.

How you can help

Transform a young life

Every new sponsor allows us to care for and educate another child. For £15 per month or £180 per year you could transform a young life.This makes a wonderful gift, or could be in memory of a loved one. Email kmhuk88@gmail.com for more information

Make a donation

> Use the Donate Now button (we are charged a 3.5% fee for this):

Donate Now

If you have a 'Stewardship' account you might find it helpful to donate via the stewardship.org.uk/partners/KMH.UK link or by using the QR code below (a fee of up to 3.5% will be charged for this)

Alternatively, with no associated charges:

> Transfer your donation directly to KMH(UK), Sort code 40-52-40, Account number 00018566. (Some banks don't like the brackets. In this case, KMHUK is fine.)

> Set up a standing order for regular giving, either by using the standing order form which you can download here or set the standing order up yourself using online banking, or in person at the bank.

> Send a cheque made payable to KMH(UK) to 48 Ditton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6RB.

> Consider leaving a gift in your will to help the work of KMH for future generations. Please email kmhuk88@gmail.com for more information.

Kathryn's Mercy Home Trust (UK) or KMH(UK) is a registered charity (No. 1129791). If you are a UK taxpayer, please complete a Gift Aid form which you can download here . This way we can add 25% to your donation at no extra cost to you. The Gift Aid form can be sent to us either by email kmhuk88@gmail.com or by post to 48 Ditton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 6RB.

Every pound you give us is put to good use in all the KMH projects. The projects are managed by our partner in India, Kathryn’s Mercy Home Trust (India). Registration Number 075930017. (President: Rev J Jeyapaul). All the projects are staffed by Indian nationals and are regularly inspected for welfare and child protection by the Indian authorities. None of the trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity. There are no intermediaries, administration costs or expenses. See our Internal Financial Control and Due Diligence Policy and our annual accounts.

Together we can help break the chains of poverty and transform lives