Muthu

Founder

Muthu is the founder of Suyam Charitable Trust (1999)[1], an Indian non-profit working on education, women & children and livelihood from Chennai.

Muthuram Narayanaswami, generally known as Muthu, is an Indian social worker and a co-founder and managing trustee of the Suyam Charitable Trust, registered in Chennai in August 1999. The trust runs free schools for children from nomadic tribes, begging communities, street children, families of bonded labourers and other marginalised groups.

He is administration director of the trust's two schools, Siragu Montessori School and Bharathamatha Nursery and Primary School, and manages its finance, governance and fundraising.

Early life and education

Muthuram's voluntary work began in 1987, at the age of twelve, when he started running evening tuition classes for children in the slums of Chennai alongside the Scout and Guide leader V. Uma, with whom he later founded Suyam.

He took a B.Com at Sir Theagaraya College, Chennai, in 1995, an M.Com from Annamalai University, Chidambaram, in 1998, and a Master of Studies in Education Management from Alagappa University in 2006.

Career

Before turning to full-time social work Muthuram worked in accountancy and administration. He was an audit assistant with the chartered accountants Sundararajan Associates in Chennai from 1992 to 1994, a manager at Singhi Dye Chem from 1994 to 1996, personnel manager at PAN HORUS Garment from 1996 to 2000, a finance executive at Hunter Douglas India in 2000 and 2001, finance manager at Sulekha Overseas from 2001 to 2002, and finance manager at Foresight Corporation from 2003 to 2006.

The Suyam Charitable Trust was registered on 6 August 1999 by Muthuram together with V. Uma and a group of other young volunteers who had been working together since 1987. Muthuram has run its finance, governance, donor relations and programme delivery since then, including audit, income tax and FCRA compliance and grant proposal writing.

Siragu Montessori School was established under the trust in 2003 near Avadi, Chennai, for children of nomadic and mendicant communities, and Muthuram has been its administration director since. In 2008 the trust took over Bharathamatha Nursery and Primary School in Vyasarpadi, and he has been its administration director since then. Education at both schools is free, including transport, books, stationery, uniforms, meals and, for residential pupils, accommodation.

Alongside the schools he has organised eye-care awareness camps and eye donation drives in Chennai, blood donation camps, tree planting drives and welfare visits to children's homes, old age homes and hospitals.[2][3][4][5]

Suyam Charitable Trust

SUYAM Charitable Trust was formally registered in August 1999 by a group of college students and experienced social activists who had already been working in the field since 1987. It works to improve conditions in poor communities in Chennai through education and career guidance for youth, and by addressing problems such as child labour, begging, school dropouts and early marriage. It also builds networks with like-minded groups to widen its impact.

Suyam Charitable Trust reports the following, on its own site: