PICTURE this: You’re in your car stuck in traffic. You glance out of your window, and chances are you spot a child in filthy clothes rummaging through heaps of garbage by the side of the road. You might pause to think about the child’s life and future, feel a twinge of sadness, but as the traffic clears up and your car moves, you’re back to your day. “It’s just another day for you and me in paradise,” as the Phil Collins song goes.
The El Shaddai Charitable Trust (ESCT) based in Goa works towards giving back childhood to children who never had one. The non-profit, non-sectarian and non-religious organization was established in 1997 with the aim of creating a safe, secure and promising future for underprivileged children.
ESCT takes homeless children off the streets and gives them a safe space. In addition to food, clothing and shelter, these children also need protection. Some of the children you see roaming the streets are orphans while others have parents, who have left their villages and come to cities to earn a meagre wage doing menial jobs. While the parents are away for long hours the children are left unsupervised on the streets, making them vulnerable to disease, malnutrition, injury and even at the mercy of child trafficking or abuse from predatory adults.
The Trust was started by Anita Edgar and Matthew Kurian in 1997. They had a vision of creating a safe space for street children – a place where they could rest, play, shower and enjoy a hot meal. In addition to providing the necessities, they also wanted to give the children an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.
TODAY, El Shaddai Charitable Trust has seven residential homes, three day-care centres, four community centres, a destitute women’s shelter and destitute men’s shelter, seven schools, homes and cottages for senior kids attending university, technical institutions and professional training centres, and nine outreach programs across Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Children are offered nutritious meals, education, games and extra-curricular activities. ESCT also aids in enrolling these kids in local schools. In some cases, children are unable to cope with mainstream schools. For these kids, ESCT started its own school where unconventional teaching methods are used in a non-competitive environment to give these children a chance to learn at their own pace.
Currently, ESCT runs seven schools: Shanti Niketan and First Steps (Assagao), Albert Good News (Margao), Blooms Pre-School (Moira), Butterflies (Porvorim), Tremera Pre-Primary School (Chimbel) and Blooming Buds (Mundgod, Karnataka).
A community sponsorship program is also in place for children from financially challenged families. There are 39 slum schools and a slum outreach program, which provides educational facilities and community health camps for slum children and women.
ESCT believes that these children deserve equal opportunities for all-round development. To this end, the El Shaddai Sports & Cultural Club (ESSCC) was started in Goa in 2009. The club was registered with Goa Football Association (GFA) in 2010. Over the years, the club has given opportunities to hundreds of underprivileged children and continues to coach them in sports. At present 100 children are enrolled in ESSCC, of which 40 are from ESCT Homes while the rest are from local marginalized communities.
WITH generous support from the community, ESCT has grown bit by bit and impacted thousands of lives. As of 2025, 204 children reside at El Shaddai Homes, 61,648 cooked meals are served to children and individuals in need. ESCT provides groceries to 300 families in need, 3,978 children received education and 2,707 individuals have benefitted from medical awareness programs. 1,319 women have enrolled in its skill development and empowerment programs.
ESCT has been accredited by Give India, Global Giving, CAF India, Credibility Alliance (one of the leading accreditation agencies in India) and Platinum Certified by Guide Star India for the highest level of transparency and accountability.
ESCT’s commitment to those who are at risk remains steadfast as they continue providing shelter, education, healthcare, and empowerment to children and vulnerable communities. They hope to welcome a safer, brighter future for each child with the help of compassionate people in our community. .
Stories of being the change…
MALLAMMA grew up in poverty but she beat the odds with her determination to break out of the cycle of poverty through education. She came to Little Acorns, El Shaddai’s daycare centre in the bustling Calangute area of Goa when she was a 7-year-old. At first, she was shy and kept to herself as she could only converse in her mother tongue. But as she learned to read, write and speak in English, Hindi and Konkani, she found her voice. Her parents didn’t believe in educating a girl child, and even if they changed their beliefs, they couldn’t afford to send her to school without support from the community. Seeing her remarkable progress, she was enrolled in El Shaddai’s Shanti Niketan School.
Fuelled by a hunger to succeed, she studied hard secured 91% in the 12th standard, and went on to graduate in commerce. Today, she is no longer the shy little girl she was and speaks with elan and confidence. She is currently pursuing MCOM at St Xavier’s College.
BABITA comes from a dysfunctional family. Her father was an abusive alcoholic. Many times, his raging temper meant no food for her as he would throw the vessels at her mother. At the age of seven, she was enrolled in El Shaddai’s Shanti Niketan School. She picked up many activities like dancing, singing, tailoring, computer education, and art. By the age of 15, she had completed her 10th grade. Today, she is a teacher at the very school from which she got her education and aspires to touch the lives of children in the same way that El Shaddai touched her life and turned it around.