Projects – Childrens Home of Hope(CHOH)

Providing vulnerable children in Chennai a safe home, education, and opportunities for brighter futures.

Location & History:

Children’s Home of Hope (CHOH) is a residential home located in Maduravoyal, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Founded in 1970 by Mrs. Lily Prabhakar, the home was established to care for healthy children of leprosy patients. Over the years, it has been lovingly managed by her and a dedicated team of committee members.

Core Focus of the Project:

The mission of CHOH is to provide traumatized and vulnerable children with a safe home, access to education, and a future filled with hope.

Key highlights include:

A Primary School serving orphans, children of destitute and single parents, and children from traumatic backgrounds.
Girls attend a local Middle and Higher Secondary School to meet their academic needs.
Students with strong aptitude are supported in pursuing vocational training or college-level education.

Alumni succeeding in diverse fields such as Indian Defense Services, medicine, engineering, and other professional careers

HOH Partnership: When & Why

In 1998, Mrs. A. K. Thampy (then Vice President of CHOH) approached Dr. Nilima Sabharwal for support. Following Dr. Sabharwal’s visit that same year, HOH Inc. USA began supporting sponsorship, medical care, and maintenance needs of CHOH.

As the partnership strengthened, the focus gradually shifted toward supporting the educational development of the children.

Impact of HOH Support

HOH has played a transformative role in advancing the education and well-being of the girls at CHOH. Key outcomes include:

Teacher salaries funded by HOH have led to significant improvements in academic performance at the middle and higher secondary levels.
Higher education support has enabled girls to pursue job-oriented professional degrees such as:
- Bachelors in Physical Education
- B.Com.
- B.Sc. in Diabetes Education
- B.Tech. in Electronics & Communication Engineering

(A five-year impact chart is available: HOH–CHOH 5 Year Impact.)

Vision for the Next Five Years

As a government-registered home, CHOH currently has a sanctioned strength of 85 children under 18 years. An application is underway for Aftercare Status, which would adjust capacity for children above 18.

Although CHOH’s infrastructure can house up to 150 children, expansion requires additional resources. Over the next five years, CHOH aims to:

Double the strength of its Primary School by 2027
Add three additional teachers
Increase funding for children’s clothing, school supplies, educational materials, and staff salaries
Introduce in-house vocational programs and develop partnerships with external institutions to widen career options
Strengthen funding through CSR partnerships, local donor engagement, and international support