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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Vidiyal & the Children
    • VIDIYAL Youtube Channel
    • The Children
    • Families
    • Child Rights
  • Sponsorship
  • News
    • Events
    • Latest News
  • Golden Triangle Auction
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Vidiyal & the Children
    • VIDIYAL Youtube Channel
    • The Children
    • Families
    • Child Rights
  • Sponsorship
  • News
    • Events
    • Latest News
  • Golden Triangle Auction
  • Contact
Contact Us Donate Now!

Our Trustees

Elaine works in horticultural research; developing new products for gardeners. She is a member of Capel St Mary Methodist Church, where she first heard about NewDawn India. With her family she began sponsoring when her children were in Primary school, to give them an appreciation of how children live in another part of the world. Equality of opportunity for all, especially children, is important to her. A regular exchange of letters with sponsored children makes supporting NewDawn more personal than supporting a larger charity. Elaine became a Trustee in 2016. She is the designated safeguarding officer and responsible for some fundraising initiatives. She can be contacted on newdawnindia.fundraising@gmail.com.

Brenda is retired, having taught languages in Ipswich for over 30 years. She has been sponsoring NewDawn India children with her husband since the charity was formed in 1990 by a fellow member of Capel St. Mary Methodist Church. Visits to Vidiyal over the years have established strong links with the children and the Vidiyal team. They have also given her valuable insight into the important work being done there. 

Brenda became Secretary to the Trustees in 2009 and was invited to become a Trustee in 2013. Her focus is on administrative matters, and she co-ordinates various fundraising activities.

Sandra is a retired maths teacher who has lived in Suffolk all her life. Along with her husband, she began sponsoring with NewDawn India in 2000, after learning about the needs of so many impoverished children through a fellow member of Capel St Mary Methodist Church. She was particularly impressed by the fact that the charity’s overheads were absolutely minimal. In 2003 Sandra visited Vidiyal for the first time, which made such an impression that she has been on regular visits since. She became a trustee in 2006. 

Sandra’s main area of responsibility is that of sponsorship secretary, matching children to sponsors and keeping sponsors updated on the achievements and any other updates of their child. 

Emma’s main responsibility is as treasurer.  Her background is teaching although she now does a variety of things including working for the Methodist Church.  She is very proud to be involved with the charity and has seen for herself just how many lives can be transformed through the work of NewDawn.

The Vidiyal Street Children Programme

The largest part of the Vidiyal Programme focuses on supporting street children. Each day, over 300 children attend Vidiyal drop-in centres, where they receive unconditional love, medical attention, and support for their emotional and material needs. Though they continue to live with their families in slums, the children are placed in schools or colleges suited to their abilities and goals. The centres also help with homework and provide opportunities to learn skills such as dance, drama, and karate. These efforts are part of a larger commitment to healthcare, education, and life-enriching experiences for every child.

Bringing Hope to Madurai’s Vulnerable Children

An estimated 30,000 children live on the streets or in the slums of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, facing daily hardships such as rag picking, begging, and scavenging through open sewers near their homes. The entrenched caste system traps these families in cycles of poverty. NewDawn India supports the Vidiyal Programme, led by Dr. Jim Jesudoss and Dr. Sharmila, whose dedicated team tirelessly works to uplift these children and their families. ‘Vidiyal’ means ‘a new dawn’—a fitting name for a programme that offers new beginnings and renewed hope to the most vulnerable.

Vision and Mission

Every right for every child.
Empowering children

Our Vision

Everything we do is to help children break free of  disadvantage and thrive.

Our Mission

We raise funds and spread the message so that the team in Madurai can work with more children, young people and families.

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Success Story

Stories of Lives Transformed Through Our Support

Vidiyal made me who I am am today

Palaneeswari

Palaneeswari, a first generation graduate and member of our alumni forum shares her childhood experiences in Vidiyal and describes how Vidiyal empowered her to become what she is today.

Child Rights

 

There is a big emphasis on Children’s Rights and many of the young people are involved in speaking at national and international conferences. Vidiyal is fighting for equality for every child regardless of caste, background or gender.

Within Vidiyal the children are taught to treat each other respect regardless of gender and girls are given the same opportunities as boys. They are all encouraged to continue with their education to as high a level as possible, according to their abilities and inclinations.

About Us

Changing lives

NewDawn India is a charitable Trust, founded in 1990 (Reg charity No: 1001535). It is a Christian charity based in East Anglia, UK, working with Sakthi-Vidiyal to raise funds supporting the Vidiyal programme since 1994.

Vidiyal (meaning “New Dawn” in Tamil) serves eight slum areas in Madurai, India. It is run by a Social Worker, Dr. Jim Jesudoss, his wife Dr. Sharmila, and their team.

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Events
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At the 25th Child Rights Festival, children from Sirpihal, Vithaihal, and Verhal forums performed a powerful and thought-provoking dance to the song “Jai Bhim”, a stirring tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the ideals he stood for. The song celebrates equality, education, and rational thinking, calling for the creation of new generations rooted in justice and knowledge. It boldly states that Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, opened the doors to education for the oppressed and marginalized. The lyrics urge listeners to pursue science, degrees like B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D., emphasizing that Ambedkar is the reason such paths are possible for many today. Rejecting age-old hierarchies and blind faith, the song encourages rational thought and scientific learning over religious dogma. It is a call to throw away oppressive structures and to rise through knowledge and equality. The children’s performance was fierce, confident, and full of conviction, paying homage to Ambedkar’s legacy and spreading the message of self-respect, education, and equality.

Families

The support of Vidiyal and NewDawn India extends into the slum itself, offering love, care and practical help to elderly people and the families of the Vidiyal children. A tailoring centre was set up for young women who would previously have earned their living panning in the sewers. On completion of the course they have been presented with their own sewing machine so that they can provide for their families.

Meetings with mothers are held to educate them about healthcare and to allow them to discuss any concerns. More recently the meetings for fathers have been introduced, as well as father and child camps, aimed at improving family bonds.

Regular gatherings are held for the elderly when they are transported to the drop-in centre for time of song, tales from the past and even dancing. This is followed by a meal and then each elder is presented with a gift of a sari, dhoti or covering.

Families

The support of Vidiyal and NewDawn India extends into the slum itself, offering love, care and practical help to elderly people and the families of the Vidiyal children. A tailoring centre was set up for young women who would previously have earned their living panning in the sewers. On completion of the course they have been presented with their own sewing machine so that they can provide for their families.

 

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Child Rights

 

There is a big emphasis on Children’s Rights and many of the young people are involved in speaking at national and international conferences. Vidiyal is fighting for equality for every child regardless of caste, background or gender.

Within Vidiyal the children are taught to treat each other respect regardless of gender and girls are given the same opportunities as boys. They are all encouraged to continue with their education to as high a level as possible, according to their abilities and inclinations.

Child Rights

 

There is a big emphasis on Children’s Rights and many of the young people are involved in speaking at national and international conferences. Vidiyal is fighting for equality for every child regardless of caste, background or gender.

Within Vidiyal the children are taught to treat each other respect regardless of gender and girls are given the same opportunities as boys. They are all encouraged to continue with their education to as high a level as possible, according to their abilities and inclinations.

 

NewDawn India supports the Vidiyal Programme, working towards relieving poverty in the Madurai slums.  ‘Vidiyal’ means a new dawn or a new beginning and a new hope in Tamil

 

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  • 10 Coombers, Capel St Mary, Ipswich Suffolk, IP9 2EY
  • info@newdawnindia.org
  • 07598388300
  • NewDawn India (Charity No: 1001535)