Our Foundations

Shishukunj is based on the philosophy of providing children with a loving homely environment, rich in positive values, to enable each child to flourish and attain their full potential.

Our activities encompass the full range of development: physical, mental, spiritual, cultural, social, and emotional.

A unique aspect of Shishukunj is that our activities are led entirely by youngsters (from their teens onwards), who act as role models and develop a close bond and interaction with the children. In this way, each generation of children develops within the Shishukunj environment, and then helps develop the next generation. Through this unique interaction, our teenagers and young adults develop into mature and well-rounded leaders of society.

Our underlying philosophy is drawn from various inspirational sources, including Mahatma Gandhi, Maria Montessori, Swami Vivekananda, and Gijubhai Badheka.

	Gandhi - “You must be the change you want to see in the world”
	Montessori - “Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world”
	Vivekananda - “The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves”

Shishukunj has been in existence since 1940, when Harjeevanbhai Somaiya, a teacher in the National High School of Karachi used to gather groups of children informally and to tell them stories of great Leaders and play Indian games. In 1943 Indubhai Davey developed more formal organised activities, and then established activities in Dar-es-Salaam in 1955. Shishukunj blossomed in Nairobi, Kisumu and Tanga soon after.

Shishukunj arrived in London in 1976, and currently has three Sunday centres (Kendras) across London which cater for over 450 children aged 5-18.

Find out more about our centres and activities.