About Us
Worldchildren Welfare Trust India (WWTI), is a registered not-for-profit NGO that came into existence in February 1984 with the objective to establish residential homes to receive, nurture and rehabilitate abandoned, orphaned and destitute children primarily by way of adoption.
Towards achieving this goal, the Trust’s first residential children’s home, Bal Anand, was set up in 1984 in a two-room rented accommodation in Sindhi Society, Chembur, with a licence for eight children. As the Trust’s reputation grew, more and more infants and children were referred to Bal Anand causing a shortage of space. Bal Anand grew to two apartments adjoining each other in Govandi. However, this too proved small for purpose in a short time. Hence, it became imperative to find larger premises, preferably owned by the Trust itself.
After months of searching, a dilapidated two-story bungalow was discovered in Ghatla Village. It was bought in May 1985 and aptly named, Sai Krupa, meaning ‘By the Grace of God’. The children moved into their home in February 1986, after renovations were complete, and after performing the very important Satya Narayan puja, which has become a WWTI tradition and is performed every year to invoke God’s blessings for the safety and well-being of our beneficiaries and staff.
Bal Anand was further developed from 1997 to 2000, which resulted in the impressive building seen today. Today, there are anywhere between 60 and 70 children from 0-18 years living at Bal Anand.
The Trust set up two other children’s homes: Bal Ashraya in Nagpur in 1987; and Bal Uday in Bhandara in 1995 with the sole purpose of providing care and protection to relinquished, abandoned, and destitute children and promoting Indian adoption in the interior of the region. Recently, both Bal Ashraya and Bal Uday have received licenses for inter-country adoptions. To know more about them, see Our Centres.
Through these three centers, WWTI has placed about 2000 children with loving and caring families. In 2004, there came a need to think about the futures of children who did not get adopted and continued living in Bal Anand since infancy.
All of these children had intellectual disabilities, and some with physical disabilities as well. They needed a permanent place to call their own- a home away from home. This need led to the purchase of a 6.5 acre rural farm in 2006, and to the creation of Umang, meaning ‘A New Hope’ in 2009. In 2010, Umang launched as a unique residential home and ‘care farm’ with 8 residents with special needs who grew up in Bal Anand.
Umang was started with the conviction that all persons, even those with mental and associated physical disabilities, must be treated with consideration and respect. The Trust strongly believes that everyone deserves a loving, caring family and a place to call home. Today, there are 17 residents with special needs who live and work together as a family and lead a life of dignity and purpose.
Besides adoption and caring for special needs children and adults, WWTI also provides temporary shelter for children who come from families in crisis. They are quickly integrated into Bal Anand life- going to school if they are old enough, receiving medical treatment, and participating in celebrations- until they are restored to their families.
WWTI is registered charity under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, having all appropriate licenses under the Ministries of Women and Child Development, and Social Justice and Empowerment. Furthermore, we have 12A certification for income tax purposes and 80G certificate for 50 % benefit to our Indian donors.
WWTI is run entirely on the invaluable donations of individuals wanting to make a difference and organizations that are undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Donations can be made in cash or in kind, from within India or abroad. For donations from outside India, we have FCRA registration for accepting donations from foreign sources and passport holders. You can visit our Donate page to find out how you can make a difference in the lives of our beneficiaries.
Over the years, Worldchildren Welfare Trust India has grown from strength to strength thanks to committed Trustees and staff, both past and present, who work tirelessly for the betterment of all the children and special needs adults under our care. None of the work would be possible without the financial assistance and innumerable blessings from all our wonderful and dedicated adoptees and families, donors, sponsors, well-wishers, CSR partners. Thank you for your continued support.
About Worldchildren Welfare Trust India
- WWTI is a licensed NGO registered under Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, Orphanages and other Charitable Homes (Supervision and Controls) Act, 1960 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000.
- Set up in 1984 to receive, shelter and rehabilitate orphaned, abandoned and destitute minors by way of adoption.
- First Children’s Home – Bal Anand commenced in 1984 with 8 children in residential care- now risen to 55 children.
- Additional centres, Bal Ashraya and Bal Uday Shishu Greh set up in Nagpur and Bhandara respectively. These centres provide a shelter to about 10 to 12 children.
- 33 special children of which 21 children are at Bal Anand and 12 at Umang.
- Professionally trained staff, volunteers and caretakers.
- An environment that provides the child warmth, care and material comforts of a home and family until an adopting family is found.
- Bal Anand has been delivering its mission through the love, support and funding from international and Indian bodies and several individual volunteers from across the world.
Foundation History
- February 1984– Worldchildren Welfare Trust India (WWTI) is established.
- April 2004– The search begins for the land where Umang can be created.
- November 2006– WWTI buys a 6.5 acre plot of land in Vanjarwadi, Karjat.
- February 2009– Project Umang is officially launched.
- March 2010– Umang goes live with its first 8 residents.
Founder’s Message
Umang is that home for the differently-abled residents who live and work there and call each other family. We believe in the Umang model, a model that can be replicated all over the world, to give stability, confidence, and employment to its residents. Our journey towards sustainability has only started, but we are assured of our success by the long way we have come in a short time.
Please assist us in empowering our residents to fulfill their potential and help change the way the world sees disability from ‘disability’ to ‘this-ability’.
Thank you.
Ms. Sulochana Kalro
Founder and Managing Trustee
Worldchildren Welfare Trust India
Meet Trustees Of WWTI
Sulochana Kalro Affectionately called Sulu, is the Founder and Managing Trustee of WWTI since inception in 1984. A social worker by profession, she was inspired and encouraged to start her own organisation by a government official who recognised her abilities.
Acknowledged achievements for her children’s rights activism, disability awareness and advocacy work, and her years of dedicated service. She was a member of the Juvenile Welfare Board between 1999-2001. She is an adoptive parent herself which has given an added dimension of sensitivity to her work with children in need with a rights-based approach.
Arvind Prabhoo has been a well-wisher and advisor to the WWTI Board for several years before becoming a Trustee in April 2017. Well known in the field of disability, he was invaluable in the establishment of Umang in rural Vanjarwadi. Arvind is known to wear many hats, including as President of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti, a state-of-the-art sports complex in Vile Parle, and as Programme Director for Paramita, an organisation whose aim is to identify and encourage sporting talent in India.
Zarin Gupta became a WWTI Trustee in 1995, and has been instrumental in and a witness to its growth over the years. She is the Founder and Chairperson of Salaam Baalak Trust established in 1988. She was working in a government hospital as a social worker when, after the success of the ‘Salaam Bombay’ movie, she teamed up with the director, Mira Nair to start a shelter for street children.
Zarin has been an International and National President of the Centre for International Programme Fellowship India.
Krishnan Ramanujam became a WWTI Trustee in April 2018 after being a legal advisor to the WWTI Board for over a year. Not one to sit at home after retirement from the corporate world, he founded his own successful consultancy company in the field of management, finance, and law in 2009. By engaging his management and legal expertise, and a myriad of contacts in the corporate world, Krishnan is passionately committed to improving the lives of the Trust’s beneficiaries, with a focus on medical treatment and educational opportunities.