About Us

Shuktara was started in 1999 by UK-born David Earp after he visited India and was profoundly moved by the plight of the disabled street children he met there.

Many of the boys and girls who have come to live at Shuktara were abandoned or orphaned as young children and suffered terrible hardship and discrimination, living on the streets and begging for scraps of food.

Because of their disabilities, they were written off as incapable of learning, developing as individuals or integrating into society. Their personalities and their potential were ignored.

The difference that a few years or even a few months at Shuktara makes is astounding. The boys and girls grow in every sense - physically, in confidence, in skills, in communication. Their personalities blossom, they begin to come to terms with their disabilities and to fulfil their academic potential.

To read the personal stories of some of the Shuktara children, click here.

Our home

Shuktara's philosophy is to provide care in a home environment not an institution. As such it must remain small and personal, and there is no plan to grow into a large organisation with a string of homes housing dozens of children. However, the charity still faces pressing financial needs.