DIYA Foundation

The light of life, the lamp of hope

Diya Foundation - a Vocational Training Center - provides training and employment to adults who are mentally challenged as well as to other differently abled individuals. A registered charitable trust, DIYA was started in 1999, with the support of a group of people.

The centre provides various services such as pre-vocational training, activities for daily living, mid-day meals for the needy/underprivileged, employment, volunteer services, respite care and residential care.

Differently abled individuals need work and the advantages of work. However, prejudices towards them have caused them to be treated as incapable of being productive members of society. This attitude is changing thankfully, as more and more corporates are becoming aware of their corporate social responsibility.
Diya Foundation envisages a future where a wide variety of work options will be available at Diya for any differently abled individual looking for work support. In the future, Diya Foundation is looking at becoming a Center that networks and links up corporates who are conscious of their social responsibility with differently abled individuals looking for job opportunities and job work.

The idea of training the disabled in work skills occurred to Maria Santamaria when she saw the helplessness and hopelessness of the mother of one of her students who was ready to leave the school program at the age of 18 with little or no life skills. From this hopelessness a seed of hope grew, and a dream for a place where adult differently abled individuals could learn a trade and earn and face the challenges of life head-on was born.

Diya Foundation started, by Gerard and Maria Santamaria, was the first step of translating a dream and vision to reality. DIYA - which means a light to the future was registered as a Trust in March 1999. Mr. Paul Dass of Pro-Vision India has been their mentor and guide through all their vocational activities and training.
Today, Diya Foundation manufactures and produces exclusive quality products which are on par with other products in the market.  Other products available at Diya are beautiful resin fridge magnets, towel hooks, a range of pen stands, paper-mache bowls in different finishes and designs, beautifully designed diyas, handmade paper gift tags, gift bags, corporate folders, use-n-throw paper pens, citronella and lemon-based phenyl, ginger-garlic paste and dosa mix. On the anvil are plans to make designer candles and exquisite chocolates. 

DIYA Foundation appeals to the public to donate to their trust to meet its requirement of skilled professionals, social workers, care givers, vocational counsellors, marketing manager etc.

All contributions are exempted from income tax under section 80 G. Contact Diya Foundation  # 19/1, Gospel Street, St. Thomas Town, Bangalore; Ph 6571 9148, 98800 52833, email sarah@diyafoundation.com.