Founder : V. Susairaj
“Reflecting back on my own childhood, I remember the times when I worked as a child laborer in different factories in Chennai, India. I had experienced the social and economic difficulties that come with unemployment and underemployment. I do not wish to see the children of today suffer the same plight. As a young worker, I was involved in the International Young Christian Workers movement (IYCW) for many years from local level to the international level. I happened to work in Hong Kong for many years in the Asia-Pacific Coordination of IYCW and saw the prevalence of child labour in other Asian countries. Though I did not have much of formal education, it was from life that I learnt and I want to give back my life to the betterment of the society which taught me lessons in life.

In 1991, I joined ‘Nesakkaram’ an organization for street children in south Chennai. It was during my work with this organization, I noticed the presence of street and working children in my own neighborhood. This motivated me to start ‘Jeeva Jyothi’, an organization that would be dedicated to improving the lives of these children.”