Gokulam – Bhaktivedanta Children’s Home is a refuge for needy children. We give them everything they need to succeed as good citizens of the world – food, shelter, medical care, a full education and the loving embrace of caring mothers.

Our children are victims of the civil war, poverty and the tsunami of 2004. However, at Gokulam, these traumatized children find solace in the awareness that they have a new and genuinely caring family.

There are eight caretakers, eight teachers, and two cooks employed at Gokulam. The staff provides all the care and attention each child needs, thus becoming their new family. According to Nandarani Devi, the founder of the Home, “Whatever the children have lost before, they can find it here.”

Gokulam is affiliated with Food for Life Global, which is constantly engaged in humanitarian work around the world and is based in Washington, D.C.

Our Mission

Gokulam – Bhaktivedanta Children’s Home firmly believes that all children deserve a safe and nurturing home that encourages them to grow into successful and happy adults. Our goal is to provide orphaned and needy children with a caring and holistic environment, a complete education, and to instill in them spiritual values, so that they gain the self-confidence, determination, and integrity to realize their full potential in life.

Aims & Objectives

The aim of Gokulam is to give orphans and impoverished children from around the country a place they can call home. We strive to provide them the environment and encouragement they need to feel that they have a loving and accepting family.

Gokulam believes it is important to teach our children that they are all brothers and sisters, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or history. We therefore try to foster a spirit of unity and love among all people. Our approach is non-sectarian and we teach the children to respect all religions.

History

In 1999, Nandarani Devi saw the necessity to establish a program to care for children who were orphaned or poverty-stricken in Sri Lanka. In desperation, she decided to take in 23 children from the Trincomalee district into her own home, providing them food, clothing and medical care. Nandarani rented two houses in Colombo, one for the boys and one for the girls, and took the children to the local temple for meals and schooling.

In 2000, Mrs. R. Navaratnam and her family donated land to build a suitable children’s home in memory of her husband, the late Mr. Navaratnam. With the help of many donors, buildings were constructed to accommodate more children. The present Children’s Home contains dormitories, classrooms, a large kitchen, gardens, and play areas for 75 children.

Today, Gokulam – Bhaktivedanta Children’s Home acts as a benchmark for service organizations around the country. It’s quality driven comprehensive care is a demonstration of the high standards other institutions strive to attain.