Founder of a network of villages for poor and destitute children in southern IndiaJoe Homan,who has died aged 85, founded a network of villages for poor and destitute children in southern India and transformed the lives of these young people and their families. In 50 years more than 15000 children passed through his villages, or where they were given an education and taught practical skills. He also pioneered a scheme by which labourers were encouraged to send their children to school in return for two calves that they could rear,to compensate for the loss of the childs income.
In the early years, when India was an overwhelmingly rural country, and youngsters were taught mainly agricultural skills,helped to accumulate some savings and encouraged to return domestic to their families better equipped to outlive as farmers. nowadays, as India has modernised, or most children go on to some form of vocational education and conclude up finding employment in towns and cities. However,they are all educated at local schools. Initially the projects catered only for boys, but in 1982 the first girls’ village was established.
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Source: theguardian.com