Children's Support Hostels

All the sponsored children live in support hostels close to their school and only 15 minutes walk from the Charan slum camp where their families live The boys and girls have separate accommodation for sleeping but meet together for social and recreational activities. A first hostel, catering for 20 children, opened on February 9th 2005. A second hostel for another 20 children opened in April 2008. The current hostels are housed in rented buildings but Tong-Len hopes to be able to provide purpose-built hostel accommodation in the near future. See Tong-Len Michael Blakey Centre.

The hostels are staffed by live-in teachers/carers with part-time daytime help from domestic staff. The hostel staff provide balanced nutritious meals, help the children with their homework, and organise recreational activities in which the children's families are also invited to participate The children contribute to the domestic tasks and have the opportunity to learn cookery and other essential life skills. They are also encouraged to play sport and learn a musical instrument if they wish. Computer time is very popular and the children are given individual lessons by one of the hostel teachers. The family atmosphere of the hostels is important to all. For most of the children it is their first experience of a secure family life.