Pascal Fautrat,
Founder
“Creating a Children’s Home like TARA was a crazy bet which would never have succeeded without the continuous involvement of a multidisciplinary and devoted team, driven by the conviction that our cause is just. The path is fraught with pitfalls but our determination is stronger than ever to protect and give these children all the tools required to become independent and fulfilled adults”
The TARA projects started in 2008
Pascal Fautrat, social worker for the Judicial Protection Youth (Protection Judiciaire de la Jeunesse) in France, and Annick Adam, a retired teacher, created the NGOs Chaya France and ONYVA in order to launch TARA Boys, the first TARA Home in New Delhi.
The boys who were living there at creation in 2008 were asked what they would like to call their home. They found the name TARA, which means « star » in Hindi. It actually says a lot about their ambition and endeavour to become someone, despite the hardships of life. We thought we could harness this beautiful energy.
Our development
TARA Boys, TARA Girls, TARA Tots (children under 10), TARA Big Birds (young adults) are now settled programs and welcome 70 beneficiaries in need of care and protection.
We have observed with time that family separation can often be avoided. This is why TARA opened its first Outreach centre in a vulnerable community in Delhi, where 100 children are taken care of during the day and can return home in the evening. More alternatives models of care and protection will be proposed in Delhi in 2024 and 2025.
Finally, because we have seen how important staff training is, TARA developed its own Training centre for professionals of child care and protection. TARA Training centre now trains both its professionals and other programs of child protection in India.
The TARA homes welcome a limited number of 20 beneficiaries each, to ensure a sustainable change in the childhood and future of these underprivileged youth. At the same time, open education programmes are helping around a hundred children and their families, with a major impact on local communities.
The children are educated in English-medium schools, the staff receive regular training, and we operate in full compliance with standards of care and protection.
TARA's work and the expertise we have developed in child protection in India has allowed us to scale up and share good practice with other organisations in the subcontinent.
The story of TARA's beginnings is told through the eyes of one of our first beneficiaries in "Standing Tall", a short animated movie, that is part of The Undefeated.
Bonus: if you can read French, we suggest you to read this article, to know more about Pascal. "Pascal Fautrat, Fondateur de l'ONG TARA".