South Asia
We have worked in partnership with Reverend Devaraj and his team since 1996 and as a result, hundreds of Children at Risk have been rescued.
A timeline of change
1996
Rev Devaraj takes Danny Smith into the city’s notorious red-light district and an effective partnership was born to help orphaned and abandoned children.
Asha, the first girl rescued.
Asha with her family. Her husband ran the shelter and our Feeding Van.
First Jubilee Home established and more girls rescued.
1998
Second Jubilee Home opens after Jubilee supporters raise more money. Olivia and George Harrison give generously over many years. Billy Connolly donated regularly and launched Tickety-Boo Tea with all profits going to Jubilee Homes.
The original Jubilee 1 & 2 buildings. Here, rescued girls are raised in a loving family home environment.
Danny Smith on an early visit to the Jubilee Homes
2000
Shelter opens in the red-light area and gives immediate protection to Children at Risk. A 9 month old baby on sale to the brothels for £150 is rescued and taken to the shelter. Baby named Glory grows up in the Jubilee Homes.
Glory after her rescue. In 2025, she graduated from university with a masters degree in psychology.
“Rescuing children is but the start. Preparing them for a fulfilling life is the longer challenge and this requires love and education.”
- Reverend Devaraj
2004
17-year old Rachel’s (Danny Smith’s daughter) sponsored sky dive raises over £300,000 – Jubilee supporters are generous with matched funding from the Laing Trust and Jubilee Campaign USA. The money buys land, builds Jubilee 4 for young children affected by AIDS or HIV, and pays for operating costs for three years.
2014
Jubilee Homes 1 & 2 relocated to larger and more secure location. After 14 years, the Jubilee Homes reached bursting point and weren’t able to take in more children. Their secure and rural location had become urbanised over time, and turned into a bustling new town. The large numbers of girls at the homes were attracting unwanted attention and we became concerned for their privacy and safety.
New Jubilee Homes and Academy opens.
“It’s been an inspiring journey and I feel privileged to have played a small part in this life-changing mission.”
- Danny Smith, founder and director of Jubilee Campaign
2016
Hard Rock Café begin supporting the Jubilee Homes and we are thrilled with their help. Together with our partner in South Asia, we launch the Hard Rock Music School to inspire rescued children to develop their musical talents.
Marc Carey, European Marketing Director, opens Hard Rock Café Music School for children at the Jubilee Homes.
Marc Carey hands over a guitar at the launch.
Limited edition guitar pins and jewellery on sale at Hard Rock Cafés and stores across Europe to raise funds.
2018
New campaign started to help children of Criminal Tribes. In 1871, the British government passed the “Criminal Tribes Act” that classified 150 ethnic groups and communities as “hereditary criminals” or “born criminal”. The consequence of that decision has devastated families ever since and is the root cause of poverty for thousands today.
This campaign helps children from two separate Criminal Tribe ethnic groups.
1
Action for children trapped in family controlled prostitution
No one knows for sure how this practice of family-led prostitution started. But for this community, prostitution is a way of life, passed down through the ages, and is considered their tribe’s profession.
At birth, parents dedicate their new born girls to the sex trade in a religious ceremony.
Girls are groomed from birth, raised with the knowledge that they will become a sex slave.
Girls are introduced to prostitution at 11 or 12-years old.
The birth of a girl is celebrated with the local community congratulating parents because of their future profits from prostitution.
The girls do not live in brothels but in a room in the family home or in an out-house.
Fathers and brothers act as pimps for their daughter/sister.
Girls have no way out and are forced to become sex slaves to provide for their family.
Rescue Home
Rev Devaraj has committed to break this tradition and the families he works with are responding positively. A Rescue Home was built thanks to gifts from our supporters. It provides safety to girls born into this community.
2
Action for children treated as outcasts
Another community classified as a Criminal Tribe is crippled by the harmful effects of this stigma. This ethnic group are deemed unemployable because they are seen as outcasts by society.
Unable to find regular work, many send their children to the city to beg.
The majority of child beggars in the city are from this community.
A life of begging turns to crime as the children grow older and the cycle of poverty continues.
These children have two options for their future: begging and crime.
Feeding Van
Rev Devaraj works to support the educational needs of this community in their homeland to stop parents sending their children to the cities to beg.
We paid for a Feeding Van that provides food and outreach to 155 children and families every day.
2022
Shabana, one of the girls raised at the Jubilee Homes, passed the notoriously difficult medical entrance exams. Over 1.5 million aspirants compete for just 89,395 seats each year.
Shabana was abandoned aged three on a hospital floor where she was caring for her baby brother. They were rescued by Rev Devaraj and raised in the loving family home environment of the Jubilee Homes. Here, Shabana was encouraged to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
Shabana outside the Jubilee Homes
Shabana in her third year of medical college
Shabana’s success was recognised by Government ministers and the media including the Times newspaper among others. A TV report congratulated “the first orphan…”.