When Hebron was established in 1961, the objective was to educate orphaned children through to class 10 (15 year old) - after which they would easily be able to find reasonable employment.

Hebron Orphanage class - circa 1970

The world has changed considerably since then - for now there are very few employment opportunities available for class 10 graduates - other than paddy field work. The average income for a paddy field worker in Southern India is about US$50 per year - below the "extreme" poverty line. The situation is no different for graduates of class 12.

Subsistence paddy field work

Thus it is not surprising that when our children leave Hebron at age 15, most of them end up living in slums, with many of the girls involved in prostitution. And because there is so little knowledge of AIDS and other diseases, the life expectancy for a young woman in prostitution in this part of the world is no more than two or three years.

There is, however, a high demand for people with vocational skills such as building, carpentry, tailoring, embroidery, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, photography and computer skills - particularly if they can read, write and speak English.

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