What is the Seva Sangam?

The Tiruchi Seva Sangam is located in Tiruchirappalli, a city of over two million people located in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

There are nearly three thousand girls studying at the Seva Sangam Girls’ Higher Secondary School. The majority of these students are girls from the Seva Sangam Home for the Destitute (orphanage) and institutions run by the Government called “backward class” hostels. Almost all are either orphaned or from very poor families residing in and around the Southern Indian city of Tiruchirapalli.

As many as 90% of these girls are the first in their families to attend school and receive the gift of an education.

Seva means "service", Sangam means "a gathering place" and the Motto of the Tiruchi school means, “Service to the Poor.” A quality education and appropriate discipline are hallmarks of the school which can today claim Doctors, Engineers, Teachers, Nurses and Technicians in the public and private sector amongst its alumni.

The Seva Sangam founding members opened their doors in 1948 and the management team has since furthered their work of educating and caring for orphaned and poor girls by fostering the dreams of deserving candidates desiring higher education. Since 1995, this has included the great expense of educational and boarding expenses.

The Seva Sangam counts on public contributions to develop and continue services such as these. Even Desmond Tutu has stated that in order for the world to become a safe and peaceful planet, we must have a revolution of women come forth.

This begins with education and a place in which a girl or young woman can feel safe in coming to understand the value of her truest “self”. It is also as simple as her noting that someone has taken the time to say, “You do matter”, by providing her with a roof over her head, some clothing and a good meal.

“...the scars of trauma, ingrained in their minds and body, took quite sometime to disappear. It took efforts to infuse in them, trust, love and friendship. A warm greeting, a thoughtful gesture was enough to start the intimacy. Once the bridge was crossed, they were capable of pouring forth immense love and gratitude, which often brought tears of joy in my eyes.”

Mrs. Meenakshi Sitaraman
Former Volunteer at the Seva Sangam
Writing from the Seva Sangam Golden Jubilee Souvenir Program

The Seva Sangam offers a comfortable living space and quality education in English and Tamil up to grade XII. Yet, the need for additional classrooms has left students and teachers on verandahs for classes and vocational students being taught in tiled sheds. There is the continued need for an appropriate library and additional structural upgrades, as well as ongoing tuition, board and educational resources for more girls.