Dr Graham’s Homes ~ Dr Graham’s Homes

If you’re new to our charity, you might find the name Dr Graham’s Homes (DGH) a bit puzzling. Is it a home… or is it a school? And why “the Homes”, not “a home”? And who exactly was Dr Graham anyway?

The answers go right to the heart of why this amazing institution was created – and how it seeks to transform the lives of young people today…

A tribute to an extraordinary figure

When it launched on 24 September 1900, the Homes actually had a completely different name. It was called the St Andrew’s Colonial Homes, because the missionaries who were working in the little Himalayan hill town of Kalimpong at the time were from Scotland (it’s why you’ll see a saltire in the school crest to this day!). Rev Dr John Anderson Graham was an energetic young minister who joined the community in 1889. He and his equally visionary wife, Katherine, had worked in the slums of Edinburgh together. Soon after arriving, however, the Grahams were alerted to a tragedy on the doorstep: children from the nearby tea plantations who were living in abject poverty, shunned or abandoned by their parents. Dr Graham decided to throw all his energies into building a home for them.

Not just an orphanage – a home from home

From the beginning, the Grahams were determined to create a place that felt more like a family than an institution. “It was to be no Victorian orphanage – austere, forbidding and loveless,” writes former Headmaster James Minto in his biography, Dr Graham of Kalimpong. “His children’s village of the Himalayas was to be a place of sunshine, flowers, fresh hill air and, above all, a place where the children could find themselves.” To achieve this, he introduced a “Cottage System”. The idea was to replace impersonal dorms with smaller cottage dwellings where the young people could live in community and grow up with a sense of family togetherness. Hence “Homes”, not “home”. The very first home was a rented cottage for six young orphans.

Growing up as one big family

One of the unique things about the cottages is the way they’re structured. Each building houses children from mixed age groups, from five or six years old up to teenagers. The older children help to care for the younger ones, and the cottage itself is overseen by a dedicated live-in carer – affectionately known as the “Auntie” or “Uncle”. There are no house servants; the children share daily chores, helping to clean, wash and cook meals together on weekends. This helps them to learn life skills and independence. But it also helps them forge strong bonds with their peers – boarders never forget the cottage they called home, and the friendships they make stay with them beyond their school days.

A “home from home” for life

For the youngest residents, the journey begins at a special cottage called Lucia King. Opened in 1910 thanks to the tireless fundraising of a Kolkata-based supporter, it cares for abandoned or impoverished children as young as infants or toddlers. The sleeping areas are colour-coded into Pink, Blue and Green families to help the children feel safe and settled when they arrive. Nurses stay overnight alongside them. It’s one reason why sponsored children can begin to feel part of a genuine family – for some, the first they have ever truly known. As former sponsored pupil David puts it: “They help you with everything – food, hygiene, clothing… As you get older, they help with studies. They nurtured and guided me. They helped to shape my character and personality.”

A thriving school

Dr Graham’s orphanage very quickly spread its wings and became more than a boarding house. The “Children’s City”, as it was known, soon grew to encompass a farm, a workshop, dozens of cottages – and of course a school, to help the children build a successful and independent future. That school continues to grow and thrive today – it changed its name in the 1940s, to honour its great founder, who passed away in 1942). Our charity, Dr Graham’s Homes UK (DGHUK for short) exists to support the work they do. Though most of the pupils today are fee-paying, many are sponsored children who come from broken homes and impoverished backgrounds. As former sponsored pupil Cynderella puts it, a sponsorship to attend Dr Graham’s Homes is literally lifechanging:

“Sponsorship has such a powerful impact – not just on the practical side with things like education and daily needs, but also emotionally. It gives a child hope, a sense of being cared for, and motivation to keep striving. I know from my own experience how much it meant to me to have someone believe in my future. Sponsorship is more than just financial support – it’s a gift of opportunity and encouragement.”

How you can help

If you’d be interested in helping a vulnerable child find a new home at Dr Graham’s Homes, we’d love to hear from you! You can help by making a one-off donation. Or you can join the Sponsorship Scheme, helping to support an individual boy or girl at the Homes with their school fees and accommodation costs. You can find out all about how it works in the Sponsor a Child section of our website. 💙