Families for Children (FFC) is a non profit, non-sectarian organization that exists to fulfill the needs of children and young adults with physical and/or mental disabilities. By providing housing, education, special medical care and vocational training, FFC helps these individuals to reach their full potential and live with dignity in a loving environment.

Even before the Indian lockdown began, we had started restricting visitors to the project and begun strict hand washing routines. From mid-March, we have been operating with a skeleton staff and rely on our older children to help with those younger and the disabled. We have been, and will continue, to pay full salaries to ALL our staff, both those working and those locked down. As is common throughout India, most households have little financial savings, and will be finding the prolonged lockdown extremely hard. FFC is determined to support our staff. In order to create an incentive for the staff who are working daily, we are banking paid days off for the days they work to be honoured or paid out at a time in the future. As this lockdown extends (it is entering its sixth month) we may need to change that as the costs may become impossible to honour.

Families for Children India is located in Podanur Junction, near the city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu State, in south India. The languages spoken are primarily Tamil, and English. We have over 450 children residing in India. The homes are comprised of 6 houses, which are owned by FFC. FFC has a large Special Care Center for children who are mentally and or physically handicapped. Excellent locally hired Special Educational teachers are employed to care for these children.

All the children are completely abandoned and have no families. Most were brought in as tiny, high risk babies, and they are mostly girls. All the children attend a government school and 2 students are in university. This is expensive, but necessary. FFC wants the children to learn English and computers, along with academic subjects, so their future will be brighter, and the staff benefit as much as the children. Many staff came to FFC as destitute mothers and had no place to go; most of the rest of the staff are poor or are needy and are supporting large extended families with their FFC wages.

FFC does not pay for office rental as FFC volunteers work out of their homes. The main office is in Sandra's home in Montreal. FFC's North American expenses are for telephone and fax, e-mail, and sponsorship program expenses such as postage, office supplies and the photographs we send to sponsors. The only rents paid are on the actual children's homes in Bangladesh. FFC owns the property and homes in India.

FFC raises money through private donations, special projects, and handicraft sales, fashion shows, private garage sales, dances, and other individual and group-sponsored events. But the only source of steady income is through the sponsorship plan.