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.

The Children’s Home is currently constructing new buildings for more children, hoping to someday house 250 youth. The center has already begun expansion of the girls’ dormitory, and plans to build a new dormitory for the boys, as well as construct a new Bhaktivedanta International School building.