Amala Trust
How did it start?
A local Dalit man of great vision and social conscience started the Home. His name is Jesudass Raja. Raja's ambition was to improve and save the lives of destitute children. In 1994, on land given to him by his father, he built two basic palm-thatched units that provided shelter and a schoolroom for 35 boys.
In 1996 Raja had a short article published by the Independent newspaper that happened to be read by Kim Pollit who lives in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. The gist of the article was that Western money goes a long way in India and that for just a few thousand pounds the two units had been built. This generated correspondence and later that year Kim went to India to meet Raja. From that time the development at Amala has been impressive. The only funding that entirely supports the Home now comes from our UK charity set up in 1977.