Picture this: A young boy watches his older brother leave for school, books in hand. He, instead, is handed a broom. Not because he lacked potential but because of his place in the family. There was only room for one child’s education. And he wasn’t the chosen one. His silence wasn’t discipline. It was disappointment carried quietly, day after day. That boy was Mr. R. Kamalakannan. But unlike many others, he didn’t shrink into the space he was given.
He questioned it – “Why should where I was born decide who I become?” In 1996, he turned that question into action and founded the St. Thomas Charitable and Educational Trust (STCET).

Not as charity, but as a response –

• To inequality.
• To exclusion.
• To a system that kept people in their place not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked opportunity.

Where society had drawn lines, STCET built bridges.

They opened doors for those who’d been locked out for too long:

• Skill training for youth who were told they’d never be more than daily-wage workers.
• Self-Help Groups for women who had never imagined earning their own income.
• Counseling support for families fractured by silence and pressure.
• A second chance for children rescued from child labour, brought back into classrooms where dreams belong.

Every initiative wasn’t just about service; it was about restoring what was taken away.

• A woman earning isn’t just about money. It’s about reclaiming her voice.
• A young person learning a trade isn’t just building a career. They’re rebuilding their identity.
• A child returning to school isn’t just learning letters. They’re remembering what hope feels like.

Over the last 27 years, STCET has quietly rewritten what’s possible:

• 22,000+ lives directly impacted.
• 55,000+ people touched through ripple effect.
• 800+ youth trained, 650+ placed in dignified jobs.
• 4,500+ families guided back into harmony.

And still, the work continues. Because even today, children are still being told, “Not for you.” Women are still waiting to be seen. And privilege still decides who gets a future. This is more than trust. It’s defiance. A refusal to let silence be the end of someone’s story. St. Thomas Charitable and Educational Trust isn’t just offering help; it’s restoring dignity where it was once denied.
And if you’ve ever felt the system is broken maybe this is where your story begins too.

Join the journey. Stand for equity.