Thomas John Barnardo was an Irish philanthropist and a social reformer, born on 4 July 1845 in Dublin, Ireland. He is also famous for his establishing homes, providing shelter to the destitute children. His first found home for the neglected children was established in 1870. In his entire lifetime, he has guided nearly 60,000 destitute children. Presently, there are over 100 homes in Britain alone and the remaining situated in Australia, Canada and England. The homes have been heterogeneous in nature and did not strictly adhere to Christian population. After his death in19 September, 1905, his social works are carried out by the charity Barnardo's.
Life of Thomas John Barnardo
Thomas John Barnardo was born of a Jewish father and an English mother. His mother was a member of the Plymouth Brethren and he also became a Plymouth member on May 26, 1862, planning to qualify for medical missionary works in the China Inland Mission. Barnardo was a student of medicine at the London Hospital, when he lived with Hudson Taylor's family. He became an associate of the Royal College of Surgeons at Edinburgh. He and his wife, Syrie Elmslie had seven children. Three of his children died at very young age. Another one suffered from Down's syndrome, it was during this period that he started setting up homes for needy children, facilitating physical and psychological development. Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo - one of Barnardo's children, later became a reputed interior decorator.
Thomas John Barnardo Homes
During the cholera epidemic in 1866, John Barnardo worked with utmost dedication for the medical
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treatment of the people in east London. Thousands of homeless and destitute children in England were benefited by Barnardo, who tried every possible means to help them. He was greatly supported by the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury and the first Earl of Cairns. The first of +"Dr. Thomas John Barnardo's Homes" was founded in 1870 at the Stepney Causeway in London. Ever since 1870, he established 112 district "Homes", excluding the mission branches all across the United Kingdom.
These institutions searched for the street children and vagabonds, to feed, clothe and educate them. They were also sometimes given industrial training to built a sustainable career in future. Every child adopted was immediately admitted, without any kind of external monetary help. These homes never imposed any restrictions of religion, nationality, age or sex. These homes followed a system for the infants and young girls and boys. The girls above 14 years of age were sent to homes for industrial training to learn useful domestic activities and the boys above 17 years of age first went to labor homes and then placed accordingly in suitable areas of employment. They were trained in the fields of various branches of trades depending upon their interest and capability.
The Girls Village Home was officially opened on 9th July 1876 with 12 cottages. Over the years, he built more cottages, that totaled to almost 66 cottages in 1906. These cottages were home to almost 1,300 girls. The Girls Village Home, often referred to as a real "garden city". After his death Dr. Thomas John Barnardo was buried in courtyard of this "garden city". Thousands of admirers grieved the death of this exceptional social reformer and philanthropist. Thomas John Barnardo also wrote many books related to charity and social welfare activities to which he devoted his whole life.
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