25 years back, Mr. Jeyapaul, who was actively working among children in Madurai, wondered about all the children without parents. At that time, HIV issues were prevalent in the country with no proper treatment available. When he was meditating on James 1:27, which talks about looking after orphans and widows in distress, he questioned himself, “Who are these orphans?”. His continued search for purpose and God’s will allowed him to work as a programme manager in an organisation which helped children born with HIV. Later, Buds of Christ was born because of this desperate yearning that God had put in the heart of Mr. Jeyapaul.
The organisation transforms kids into influencers and agents of change. Buds of Christ was registered as a Trust in 2007 to provide rehabilitation to HIV-infected kids, to understand and empower them to lead a fruitful life. The organisation cares for children in the districts of Nammakkal, Salem and Erode, with two rehabilitation centres. They have more than 120 children who they support till their graduation or even after their master’s. The centre works closely with the local DAPCU (District AIDS Prevention Control Unit) and also with hospitals to provide medication and counselling for the children. With six staff and 10 volunteers, Buds of Christ have built many families and couples. Three of the couples from the organisation have children who were born HIV-negative.
The organisation exists to look after children infected by HIV and AIDS, who have lost either one or both parents and are living in vulnerable conditions. They focus on their health, education, awareness and leadership development with a child-rights approach and build confidence through life skills education.
“Love, listen, learn and lead.” These four Ls are the pillars of Buds of Christ, a Charitable Trust that houses HIV-infected children. The organisation empowers these children to live life positively and with dignity and aspires to raise them as leaders of hope and courage. Under the leadership of Mr. Jeyapaul Sunder Singh, Buds of Christ creates awareness and advocates for the children infected by HIV. It uses a unique method called HEAL: Health, Education, Awareness and Leadership development.
On the invitation of Mr. Jeyapaul, in November 2024, the Organisational Development (OD) department of CIM made its first visit to Buds of Christ as part of its strategic planning efforts. This visit aimed to assess the current operations, identify areas for improvement, and develop actionable strategies that align with Buds of Christ’s mission. During that time, the organisation prioritised availing CIM’s visioning exercise, strategic planning and operational manual. Thus the strategic planning process began on the second visit, on the 13th and 14th February of 2025.
On the 13th, Ms. Divya, Finance Consultant and Mr. Sam Blesson, Director-OD, helped the organisation to set up accounting systems in the main and the project office. The next day Mr. Raja Christopher, Director-Training and Mr. Sam Blesson began the visioning exercise facilitated, helping Buds of Christ to revisit their vision and mission statements and designed the DNA Statements with its tagline, “Empowered to Empower”.
As part of the Strategy Plan Development, through SWOT and LSPC Analysis, appreciative enquiry and management tools. The team came out with three strategies for its effective running. The CIM team submitted the Mission Plan document with action plans for the next five years of implementation roadmap.
Buds of Christ continues to create hopes and dreams in the hearts of little ones telling them, “Hey, there’s life even after HIV”. CIM is proud to partner with this organisation, helping it strengthen its vision and mission for the long run.