LOTUS -- as an acronym it stands for Lovers Of Trust, Unity and Service -- an organization for offering food, shelter, education etc., for the orphans and destitute in the society. It was started and has been managed by an individual named Sister Celine Augustine Marie of Salem (Salem District, Tamilnadu). Sr. Celine is working as a teacher in a school in a nearby village and gives her complete remuneration for the welfare of LOTUS. Being interested to serve the society and mankind, she got into action since 1994 and its LOTUS is about to reach its 15th year in 2009. She managed to get her own building in the year 1999 through the funds from various sources which includes Rs.2.5 lakhs from her own parents from the accumulated sum for her marriage, Rs.2 lakhs each from her Aunt and Grandma plus some NRI funds from Germany through her acquaintance with the people during her stay there for some time.

Right from getting the God's own kids into home and bringing them up by providing food, clothes, shelter, education she manages to do with the assistance of Sister Sathya who has been with Sister Celine for more than 10 years who is also a full time volunteer and assistant for all the activities of LOTUS. Not just kids, LOTUS also accommodates the helpless various people at different ages including the aged/elderly woman who has none to support on their day-to-day activities.

LOTUS is well known in the Salem District for the social welfare activities and one of the local TV channels named Polimer had appreciated by broadcasting a few activities it has done in the April 2008. Sister Celine was chosen as One of the "Top 10 people of Salem" a couple of months ago. She has been getting recognized and congratulated as a Special Guest in various functions/gatherings happening in the town and also gets appreciation from the higher officials including the Mayor.

Of all the kids being brought up by LOTUS, many of them are from very poor family background but had managed to study while working day and night to repay the family debts/loans but still had scored a very good score (400+ out of 500 in Xth std, 1000+ out of 1200 in Class XII etc.,). A point not to be missed is, they are voluntarily brought up by Sister Celine who took a special interest in the kids of rural areas nearby her school and started tracing the students who had got CA (Continued Absence) in their attendance for a longer period and she succeeded in getting 19 such kids out of 300 odd kids as a result of her survey. She had even paid the ransom amount for which they were rented/leased by their parents and got them to LOTUS.

Address
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LOTUS (Lovers Of Truth, Unity & Service),
#855, Rohini Garden,
1st Plot, Ayyappa Chettiar Kaadu,
Alagapuram Pudur, SALEM - 630 016.
TamilNadu, India.
Ph: 91-427-244049
Email: lotus.salem@gmail.com, lotus_salem@yahoo.com

Contact Person(s):
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Sister Celine @ 91-96004-16555,
Sister Sathya @ 91-96004 17555
M Raghavan @ 91-98809-61616 (myself)