Velai Vazhikaati Foundation

Our office is in a flat, number B-151, at 351 K.H. Road in Ayanavaram. It’s right in the middle of a busy part of Chennai, near Perambur and Purasawalkam. Getting here can be a bit of a challenge with the traffic on K.H. Road, but we’ve been here long enough that it feels like home. The foundation focuses on helping people find their way with work and jobs. It’s a small flat, so when we have more than five people inside, it starts to feel really crowded. We have desks tucked into corners and stacks of resumes and forms on every available surface. The sounds of the city come right through the windows—horns honking and people talking on the sidewalk below. We aren't a big agency with lots of money. We are just a few people sitting in a residential building trying to be helpful. Most of our visitors are young people looking for a start or older folks trying to change paths. We talk to them across a simple wooden table. Sometimes the printer jams or we run out of ink, and someone has to run down to the local shop. It’s a very hands-on way of doing things. We don't use fancy jargon or have big corporate meetings. We just listen to people and try to point them in the right direction. It’s busy and loud, but it’s real work.